Children of Summer
by Zeroan
Summary: Ruby dreamed of being a heroine. Weiss wanted to prove herself worthy. Blake fought for her life and of many others. Yang just wanted to enjoy life. But a time comes when they can't be children anymore. (AU)
1. Prologue

**Red like roses fills my dreams and takes me to the darkest path**

** White is cold and always judged, haunted by a cruel past**

** Black the beast fights against the world**

** Yellow beauty burned away**

-x-

"Ozpin."

The headmaster put down his mug. The coffee still released some steam, so much that anyone else would probably shy away from drinking it, but it was exactly how he liked it.

A little legend the students of Beacon liked to tell was that the professor and his mug were inseparable. He found it quite humorous, if not a bit true. After all, he did spend most of his time drinking coffee, doing so alongside any other activity that allowed it.

So when he didn't reach for the drink again, she knew he was going to be deadly serious.

"It`s been a long time." He said simply, without turning his gaze to the speaker "What brings you here? I hope it's not trivialities, dear."

"I have no time for trivialities, and you know it." The woman spoke, an icy edge in her voice "Don't speak to me in riddles and flourishes, like you do with your students."

"As you wish. I do remember a time when you were quite the fun-loving girl, though."

The woman didn't respond to that. He waited a few seconds, but she continued to be silent. The silence unnerved him. As headmaster of Beacon, he was not accustomed to being ignored. When he spoke to students, they were quick to answer him, often trying too hard to be formal and making a mess of themselves.

"Well, let's get to the point, then." Ozpin finally said.

"Yes." The woman agreed with no emotion "The time you've been dreading for so long is nearing. We have but a few months before It awakens fully."

The headmaster's face grew pale. A shiver ran down his spine at the mention of _It_. Memories back rushing to him, of bodies and blood and darkness and violence, but he was quick to shut them all out of his mind, regaining his composure.

"You could have warned me sooner." He accused, surprised to find a bit of anger in his own voice. Did he lose so much control over so little a message?

"I could have, put there was no point in doing so. There was nothing you could do before now."

"And what can I do now?"

"As you know already, our enemy is a formidable one. Humanity will need to find great heroes to face It." She said "I believe you are going to meet some of them very soon, you will know whom when you speak to them. Accept them into Beacon. Do your precious interrogation, if you want to."

"It _is_ a useful interrogation. You would think so if you left your bitterness of going through it behind." Ozpin said, regaining a little bit of his humor.

"I left such petty bitterness behind long ago." The woman seemed sad now.

The headmaster lowered his head, cursing his choice of words.

"I'm sorry. I should know better than to remind you of-"

"It's no matter. Just focus on the future. Make sure the girls are safe until their time comes, and when it does, guide them well, for I won't be able to fulfill such a task." The woman said, although there was still sadness behind her words.

Ozpin nodded.

"I will do it happily. I already deal with students all the time. This won't be much different, right?" He asked, trying to ease the tone of the conversation.

"Perhaps. But I believe most of your students don't have recommendations from a dead woman." The woman answered, showing a bit of a smile "Have a good night, Ozpin."

The headmaster turned around in his chair, but saw no one in his now empty office. He rolled his eyes and reached for his coffee.

"And they say _I _am mysterious."

-x-


	2. Ruby Rose

Ruby shook her head to the music, never tearing her eyes away from the magazine she held close to her face. It always amazed her how people could come up with such diverse weapon designs. There were sword-guns, spear-guns, gun-guns… She couldn't get enough of them.

Of course, they didn't hold a candle compared to _her_ weapon, latched safely at the back of her belt. She had thought of sending a photo of Crescent Rose to the people who managed the magazine, but was too afraid that they would steal the design and then it wouldn't be unique anymore.

_Oh, _was that a trident-gun-

A thug on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. There was a man behind her, wearing a black suit and red shades. He looked a bit ridiculous, but she didn't voice that thought.

She looked at him, confused. He pointed to his own ear, and she took the cue, taking the headphones off her ears.

"Yes?" She asked politely.

"I said, put your hands in the air! Now!" The man said, clearly exasperated.

"Are you… robbing me?" The redhead said, hoping he really was.

The man looked even angrier. He puffed his chest menacingly, but the action just made him look more ridiculous.

"Yes!"

"Ooooh…"

And in three seconds, he was sent flying to the other side of the shop with a painful sound. Another man, wearing the same clothes, appeared before her, pointing a gun at her face.

_At least this one has a weapon!_ She thought, excited about fighting.

The man grabbed her and threw her through the window of the shop. She broke the glass, but felt little pain, her aura protecting her from most of the damage, and fell to the ground.

Ruby lifted herself up slowly, resting Crescent Rose against her shoulder as it unfolded, a weapon people said was too big and heavy for a girl of her size and age.

She turned her head to smile at the criminals standing inside the shop. With a single motion, she spun the scythe and struck the ground in front of her.

People were wrong.

-x-

She watched, awestruck at the show of power in front of her.

The helicopter shook as Glynda and the woman in red fought with magic Ruby had never seen before. They traded fire, and ice, and purple stuff she didn't even comprehend!

Maybe it was Dust… She had never really figured out exactly what it was, but it seemed powerful and-

The fighting stopped and the helicopter flew away, undamaged. Glynda adjusted her glasses, clearly exhausted. It had been too long since she had had to use so much power. She wondered who that mysterious woman was, but left the question to the side for the moments. She had to deal with the redhead girl now.

"You're a huntress!"

Glynda turned and found the girl gawking at her in complete amazement.

"Can I have your autograph?!"

"No! Young lady, we need to talk, but not here." Glynda said, assuming the same tone of voice she used every time a student spoke something stupid to her. Or anything, really.

"Maybe later, then?"

The older woman straightened her eyes, not quite believing someone could be as dense as this girl. She grabbed Ruby's wrist and started to walk to the rooftop's ladder.

Ruby emitted a sound that could make a deaf man cry, but got no reaction from Glynda. She was going to question the mage some more, but as she looked at the distance, the girl spotted something odd.

Standing on a distant rooftop was a figure, watching silently, but Ruby couldn't make out any details. The only reason she had managed to spot the person was his or hers white cloak flowing against the wind.

Ruby blinked, and the figure was not there anymore. She inclined her head to the side, confused at the sighting. Had she imagined things?

"Climb down the ladder. I have no time to waste, girl." Glynda called, annoyed at her slowness.

Ruby turned to her and opened her mouth to ask if she had seen the figure too. Glynda's face made her think twice, however, and she said something else entirely.

"Sure! Sorry! Don't use your magic-stuff please!"

Ruby climbed down the ladder, resisting the urge to run off using her Semblance.

-x-

_Wow, this is even bigger than in the TV commercials!_

Ruby stood awestruck at the front of Beacon academy. Some people passed by her and looked at her face, finding either funny or disturbing how much such her eyes had widened at the sight.

Yang stood at her side, wondering how long it would take for her to awaken from the stupor. She sighed and decided to poke her sister before people wondered if there was something really wrong with her.

"Ruby! Come on, sis, wake up!" She called.

Ruby blinked and looked at her, and her expression took a new look of fear and anxiety.

"Yang! This is too much!" She exclaimed, grabbing her sister's shoulders "What if I don't make any friends? What if school is too difficult for me?"

"You'll do fine!" Yang sighed, putting her hands on her hips "We discussed on the plane, sis. Don't worry too much."

"It's easy for you to say…" Ruby said grudgingly.

Yang was about to answer her, but spotted a familiar bunch in the distance.

"It's my friends from Signal! See you later, Ruby!"

Ruby extended her hand pitifully to stop her, but the blonde was already gone.

"Yeah, sure! Just leave your little sister alone in a place she doesn't know!" The redhead shouted, raising her arms indignantly.

She felt something hit her arm and heard a high-pitched yell. Ruby turned around, finding a white-haired girl stumbling backwards, holding her nose with a pained expression.

"Oh god- I am SO sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!"

The girl looked at her, and at that moment, Ruby met with the truest look of hatred she had ever seen.

"You're _sorry_?! I could be bleeding, you dolt!"

"Uh… What's a dolt?" Ruby asked meekly. The girl looked at her with an even angrier expression "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"

The girl removed her hand from her nose and looked at her with a dubious expression.

"You're safe for now. Luckily for you, my face's not actually damaged, and you didn't even get close to the Dust." She said. Ruby looked at the half dozen of boxes she was carrying, and the girl swiftly stood in front of them "Do _not___get near the Dust."

"If you say so…" The redhead extended a hand hesitantly "My name's Ruby."

"Weiss Schnee." The girl answered, ignoring the hand "I am very important, so maybe you should step away before you hurt me."

"What are you, a princess or something?" Ruby asked, smiling.

Weiss glared at her, but before she could answer, another voice interrupted their conversation.

"She's an heiress, actually."

The two girls turned to the new arrival. It was a girl around their age, with black hair and clothes. She had a bow atop her head, something that seemed too cute when compared to her impassive face.

"Heiress to the Schnee Company, responsible for the majority of Dust trade and transport. A very wealthy and important business." She continued, crossing her arms.

Weiss looked at Ruby and pointed at the girl, as if she was her savior.

"See? I bet she wouldn't even _dream_ of hurting me."

"Yeah, sure." The girl said, and smiled enigmatically at Weiss.

She started walking away and Weiss followed her hurriedly.

"What do you mean by _yeah, sure_?!" She called.

The girl looked back at Ruby over Weiss's shoulder and rolled her eyes. Ruby smiled a little, before sitting on the ground.

_I was abandoned by my sister, offended an important princess-heiress-someone, and maybe befriended a strange bow girl._

She let her whole body fall back.

_This is going to suck_.

-x-


	3. Partners

The new students from Beacon stood on a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. The place held great importance: it was tradition that all hunters and huntresses should experience the danger and difficulties of the forest, so they would have a notion of how the outside world would treat them.

Most of the students gathered were worrying about how they would land on the ground, their safety afterwards, and in a very special casa, why they were there (that blonde student didn't seem very bright, Glynda noted). Ruby Rose, however, had only one worry on her mind.

_Who is going to be my partner? Who do I know? Yang! But if I don't find her… Jaune is cool. But he doesn't fight well, I think. Blake is kinda nice, but she seems very reserved. And I don't think I can have a healthy, safe partnership with Weiss…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the students flying into the air. She saw that red-haired girl, Pyrrha, go off gracefully, followed by Blake, with a determined face. Beside her, Yang put on shades and stuck out her tongue, which made Ruby forget her worries. That is, until she went flying too.

_Here goes nothing!_

She held herself still in midair, not panicking despite the distance she was from the ground. The redhead unfolded her scythe and begun to descend. With careful aim, she struck a tree, slowing her fall, before releasing the weapon from the wood and rolling on the ground. Luckily, her aura kept her unharmed.

She lifted herself up and looked around.

"Okay! Time to find Yang!" She exclaimed before darting off in an absurd velocity "Yang! Yang! Yang!"

She kept running, hoping to meet up with her sister. Ozpin had said that whoever they first shared looks with would be their partner, so if she used her Semblance, nobody would be able to look at her because of her speed, and then she could find Yang and choose her as partner.

_I'm a genius!_

She soon came to a halt when she spotted something between the trees. She focused on it, seeing it was white.

"Oh please not Weiss!" She said to herself, completely forgetting her plan.

However, it didn't seem to be the heiress. Ruby walked towards it, and finally figured out what she had seen: the same figure from the night she confronted Torchwick!

_Do. Not. Blink._

She kept moving towards the person cloaked in white, but as she neared it, it seemed to go away. Ruby inclined her head to the side, finding something wrong with that. The person wasn't walking backwards, it was like he or she was disappearing and appearing again further from her.

The young girl activated her semblance and ran to the figure, but when she finally got close to it, no one was there.

"What the…" Ruby looked around her, confused "Who are you? Teleporting is not fair!"

Her words echoed on the forest, but no answer came. Ruby stayed still, quiet, disturbed by the strange appearance. She had assumed the other night had been a fabrication of her mind, her exhaustion after fighting Torchwick and his goons making her see things that weren't there. But now the figure in white was there again, and the girl could tell it had been real.

Who was that? Why had he or she decided to appear before Ruby two times? And why hadn't she been able to get near?

Ruby shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She had more immediate worries to deal with.

"Yang!"

-x-

Weiss made her way through the forest, keeping her hand on her rapier's handle at all times. She found the test to be incredibly irrational. It was dangerous to put untrained students on such a perilous place, even if they had studied at other schools before. The risk of them getting lost was also very real, although she deemed herself too smart for that to happen to her.

The thing that most irritated her, however, was that the forming of partnerships made no sense! She could be matched with anyone, and the headmaster wouldn't care if was a good or bad combination. What if she met with that insufferable Yang Xiao Long first? Or that stupid boy Jaune? Or, gods help her, _Ruby_? That girl was a serious threat to friends and foes alike.

She stopped at the middle of a clearing to empty her mind. With a calming breath, the heiress left all thoughts of anger aside. She hadn't made all the way to Beacon to be a spoiled little girl. Weiss could prove herself capable of anything, so she would come out of this trial victorious.

She froze when multiple growls came from around her position. She drew Myrtenaster and looked at her surroundings. From the middle of the tress, red eyes shone against the dark.

_Beowolves. Nothing to be worried about. You have been training for so many years. You won't falter today._

The first Grimm jumped out of the darkness, lunging directly at her. She spun her rapier before slashing at the monster, which got knocked back against a tree. Three more appeared from all sides, but she kept her cool.

She turned Myrtenaster's Dust dial to blue. Fire would be the most effective way of destroying the beasts, but it would put the location at risk and create even more trouble. So ice would have to do it.

Weiss stabbed the ground in front of herself and spun, sending a wave of ice against all of the monsters. They got stabbed cleanly before they could make any advance towards the girl.

A dozen more of the beasts appeared, and Weiss cursed herself silently. Grimm were attracted to negative emotion, so it was logical to assume they had detected her anger from before.

She could take of all of the monsters, but it would tire her a lot and put a strain on the rest of the traveling she would have to do.

Some of the monsters advanced, and she turned to them. She created a glyph beneath them, and from there emerged a spike of ice that killed them instantly. Nine more remained, and Weiss was quick to take out three more using the same technique.

She stepped back slowly. Another one jumped at her, and she reacted too late. It slashed at her arm, and her weakened aura only stopped a little bit of the pain. A small trickle of blood flew from the wound. She swiped with her rapier, beheading the monster.

She pressed her back against a tree, facing the remaining five Grimm. She couldn't use any more Dust, or it would seriously compromise the rest of the mission. The only remaining option was to kill them using only her combat skills, a not so ideal method.

Before she could take action, however, one of the Grimm fell to the ground dead. A shadow jumped from behind it to the other beasts and neatly cut them. It stepped in front of Weiss, and then she could make out who it was: Blake Belladonna.

"Hey. I guess I got here just in time." She said with a smirk.

"I could have taken care of them." Weiss responded, raising her head with proud.

"Yes, but it would have hurt a lot more than that scratch on your arm." Blake shot back matter-of-factly.

"Humph… You're right." Weiss admitted grudgingly "It seems you and I will be partners for the rest of our time at Beacon, then."

Blake looked at her with her head inclined to the side, as if judging the heiress's potential as a partner. Weiss did the same, though with much less subtlety.

After a few seconds, the girl with the bow extended her hand.

"Come on, you're tired. I'll help you out." She offered.

Weiss stared at the hand quietly. She could use the support, but didn't want to show even more weakness.

Blake waited a few more seconds before removing her hand rather abruptly.

_Fine. If she wants to be stubborn, so be it. _

She turned her back to the heiress and started walking north. Weiss composed herself and quickly caught up, standing beside her new partner.

-x-

Yang was shaking with rage. How _dare _they take one of her most precious things from her?!

"You insensitive bastards!" She yelled.

Her eyes turned red and her aura exploded in fire around her. She dashed and punched one of the Beowolves, quickly scoring a series of punches and kicks before it fell to the ground.

"You wanna enjoy the seven stages of _dead_ your friend went through just now?"

The other beowolf looked at her and whimpered. She cracked her fists and smiled maniacally.

"Sorry, you don't really get a choice!"

She jumped at the monster, knocking him to the ground, and then slammed it with her fists repeatedly. She then stepped back and put her hands to her hips. Her eyes turned back to violet.

"Don't mess with the hair." She said.

Yang turned back north and began to walk, but a distant sound stopped her. It was something familiar. Something almost primal, which awakened her inner mother. There was only one thing that could do so…

"Yaaaang!" Ruby appeared before her in an explosion of rose petals and hugged her "I'm so happy to see you! Do you already have a partner? Please say no!"

Yang patted the girl's head awkwardly. She was small, but Ruby sure could hug someone to death.

"Nope. I'm all yours, sis." The blonde answered.

Ruby squealed with such happiness that Yang's heart simple melted on the spot. The older girl had to admit that, despite having many friends, she wished the most that she would end up in a team with her sister. Maybe being partners was a bit unnecessary, but she could also enjoy that.

"Ruby. Please. You're gonna turn my insides to jelly if you don't stop the hug in a few seconds." She pleaded desperately.

"Sorry, sis." Ruby backed away, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Come on, let's go north, or we'll be late." Yang urged, running ahead.

Ruby let out another happy squeal before following her new partner.

-x-

As they got out of the trees, Blake narrowed her eyes, focusing on the sight ahead. She could see something like ancient ruins: a bunch of marble pillars, some scattered broken on the ground, others in condition only good enough to keep standing. Honing her vision even more, the girl saw what appeared to be little chess pieces put on pedestals.

"Is that where we need to go?" Weiss asked at her side. She had recovered from her injuries, now standing with no difficulty.

"I think so." Blake answered, raising an eyebrow "There are chess pieces in these ruins. They must be what we came here to gather, right?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes, trying to see what her partner was talking about.

"I don't see chess pieces." The heiress said in confusion "Are you sure you see them?"

"Yes. Why would I lie about something so specific?" Blake turned to the white-haired girl.

"You have pretty good sight, then, because I only see ruins."

Blake scoffed and started walking again, leaving her partner behind. Weiss followed, frustrated.

"Hey! What's your problem?" She exclaimed "I wasn't implying you were _lying_."

The black-haired girl turned her head to the side and looked at Weiss over her shoulder. She looked at her in the eyes, and the heiress could swear there was something strange in the way she did that.

_I didn't do anything to wrong her, but it's like she dislikes me anyway. Why?_

"Yeah, you didn't say I was lying. I know that." Blake's voice was controlled, like was holding back other emotions "But you did imply there was something wrong with my capabilities. Like I wasn't good enough to tell what an object was from a distance, just because you couldn't do so."

"What? I did _not _do that-"

Blake stopped and spun around. She put a hand on the heiress's shoulder and stared at her.

"Just listen." She asked. Weiss crossed her arms and inclined her head to side, beckoning the girl to continue "I think you do that to people without even noticing. You treat anyone like you would treat yourself. The thing is, not everyone was born and raised like you."

"I know that! I'm not naïve like you think I am." Weiss in a quieter tone "Don't judge me based on where I came from."

Blake smiled and patted the girl's shoulder.

"I did not mean that negatively, Weiss. There's a lot of things that you can do because of your raising. I've never seen anyone use Dust like you. You should be proud of that."

"What's your point, then?" The white-haired girl confusedly asked.

"Everyone has something to be proud about, I guess. So don't dismiss people's abilities just because you can't reach or surpass them."

Blake turned around and started walking to the ruins.

Weiss followed at her side, silently contemplating her words. She understood what she had meant. The heiress had to admit that she did judge people based on her own abilities. But something about Blake still felt wrong to her. She seemed like a calm and smart individual, so why had she been so riled up about something so simple as her questioning her sight?

As they approached the ruins, Blake cast a few occasional looks at the girl beside her. She felt her words had ringed true, but knew they applied to herself too. She had encountered a lot of people who were quick to cast their judgment on people they barely knew, but had never lectured them like she had just now. Maybe she had judged Weiss too hardly based only on her status.

They broke away from their thought when they reached the ruins. The pair stood in the middle of the circle and looked at the chess pieces silently. Weiss turned to Blake and pointed to the objects with a flourish.

"You can choose our piece if you want to."

"Thanks." Blake smirked, recognizing that was her partner's way of apologizing "The horse?"

"Sure. It's called the knight, by the way." Weiss corrected.

Blake picked up the gold piece and attached it to her belt.

"You've never played chess before?" The heiress asked.

"I haven't had any opportunities to learn it in my life." Blake answered.

"I'll teach you when we get back to Beacon." Weiss smiled "And I won't judge you when you lose."

Blake raised an eyebrow, surprised. Had Weiss Schnee just cracked a joke?

"And I won't judge you for your teaching skills." She accepted the offer, smiling back.

-x-

As they ran through the forest, Yang couldn't help but notice the way her sister kept swing her head from side to side, as if she expected something to appear in the middle of the trees.

_That's weird. Ruby is too carefree, especially when running, to act this way_. The older girl thought, frowning worriedly.

"Ruby? Something wrong?" She yelled, never slowing down.

The redhead looked at Yang and shrugged. How she did that at such a high speed was a mystery.

"It's nothing. I just saw a person before, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a student." She yelled back.

"So what? Maybe it was a hunter or something." Yang answered.

"I don't know. There was something wrong with him, or her. I couldn't catch up, even when using my semblance."

"_That's_ pretty weird. Maybe they could teleport or something?"

Ruby pouted.

"Teleporting is _not_ fair!"

Yang laughed, but stopped doing that when she noticed there was nothing beneath her feet anymore. She started falling and Ruby followed after her immediately.

"And _that_, sis, is why you don't talk while running!" The blonde screamed.

"I didn't start the conversation!" Ruby defended herself.

They both hit something warm and soft that stopped their fall. Yang got on her knees and looked at where they had landed.

_Black… feathers? What the hell is this?_

"Nevermore!" Ruby screamed, answering the unasked question.

They looked ahead of them, meeting eyes with a giant bird that stared back at them. It squawked and lifted itself off what they now realized was its nest and flew off into the distance.

The sisters grabbed on to the feathers, screaming in both fear and excitement.

"What do we do?!" Yang asked.

"Jump!"

"Jump?"

"Jump!"

They let go of the feathers and started falling. They turned upside down and looked at the ground beneath them.

"I didn't think this through!" Ruby admitted at the top of her lungs.

"I've got you, sis! Hang on!"

Yang got near Ruby and involved the girl in her arms. She turned in the air so her back would hit the ground, easing the fall for Ruby.

"This is not a good plan!" The younger girl complained.

"Wanna call the Nevermore back?" Yang screamed back angrily.

The blonde closed her eyes and focused. When she opened them again, they were a fiery red. Her aura burst around them both, and when they crashed, it was not as painful as it should have been.

Ruby lifted herself up and dusted her clothes. She sighed and looked around, only to find Weiss and Blake looking at her with expressions so surprised that they were borderline comical.

"Uh… Hi." She said meekly.

"You just fell out of the sky." They said in unison.

"That happens more often than you would assume." Yang said, sitting on the ground while rubbing her head.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked worriedly.

Yang got up and smiled. She extended her fist to Ruby, and the girl connected her own.

"Super sisters!" Yang exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Ruby followed happily.

Blake palmed her face while Weiss stared at them, one eye twitching in disbelief. The sisters turned to look at the chess pieces.

"We're supposed to choose one, right?" Ruby assumed.

"Yup." Yang picked up one the pieces "How about a cute little pony?"

"Yes!" Ruby agreed excitedly.

"It's a knight, actually." Blake pointed out wisely.

"It's a pony. Chess is for boring people." The blonde retorted.

Blake looked back at Weiss and smiled at her offended expression.

Before anyone could say anything, a shadow fell upon them. They looked up and spotted the Nevermore from before, staring at them menacingly.

"Look at what you two dunces provoked!" Weiss accused angrily.

"What's a dunce?" Yang whispered to Ruby.

"Take cover!" Blake warned.

They jumped behind the marble pillars as a dozen black feathers darted by, all of them as sharp as glass. The giant Grimm screamed before landing behind them and lashing out with a wing.

Weiss reacted quickly, raising her rapier while turning its dial. Ice emerged from the ground, catching the monster's attacked in mid swing. The bird struggled a bit before breaking loose.

Yang took advantage of the distraction and rushed in, kicking the Nevermore in the chest, sending it back several feet. She then swung her fists forward repeatedly, bullets shooting from Ember Celica. The pellets exploded against the bird's feathers, stunning him but not doing any actual damage.

"Weiss!" Ruby called.

"What is it?!" The heiress looked at the younger girl impatiently.

"Can you get me and Blake close without it noticing her?"

"As long as it is distracted… Yes, I can do it!" Weiss answered.

Ruby nodded to Blake and the two got in front of Weiss. The white-haired girl formed a glyph beneath their feet and then made a forward gesture with Myrtenaster. The two girls were propelled around the bird in high velocity, until they stopped behind it.

"What now?" Blake asked.

"Get his feet so he can't take off." Ruby commanded, thinking quickly.

"What about you?" The black-haired girl questioned.

Ruby smiled excitedly while unfolding Crescent Rose.

"I am _not_ going for a ride."

She jumped at the Nevermore's back and grabbed on to its feathers. The bird screamed and began to ascend, but suddenly pulled back.

Blake had rushed beneath the Grimm and thrown Gambol Shroud, getting her ribbon around both of its feet before the weapon returned to her. She yanked with all her force, and the monster went smashing back against the ground.

She stepped away carefully as the Nevermore got on its feet and tumbled back, still being hit by Yang's bullets.

"Freeze it!" Ruby screamed while holding on for dear life.

"What did she say?" Weiss asked Yang.

"Uh… Kill it?" The blonde slowly replied, having not heard her sister clearly either.

"That's what we're trying to do." The heiress said confused "Your sister is crazy."

"I know." Yang muttered "It runs in the family."

Ruby cursed under her breath, shaking along with the bird's movements.

_Fine! This will just be a bit more difficult!_

She yanked herself up and fired down with her weapon, flying towards the bird's head. She got on the Grimm's shoulder and surrounded its neck with her scythe's blade. The girl then looked back at Weiss with frustration.

"Freeze his feet!" She screamed even more loudly than before.

"Oh." Both Weiss and Yang said.

The heiress pointed her rapier at the monster's feet and spun the blade. Ice formed around them, making the beast wobble unbalanced.

Ruby jumped down, bringing the Nevermore with her using her scythe. However, the ice around its feet made it so he couldn't reach the ground, and the blade cut clean through its neck.

The redhead landed on the ground and spun her weapon neatly before resting it on her shoulder. She bowed jokingly.

"Show-off." Yang said, but couldn't help but smile at their work.

The girls got close together and stayed silent for a while, simply enjoying the sensation of success. Then a thought crossed Ruby's mind and she blurted out:

"Where's Jaune?"

-x-

Ozpin smiled as he announced the new student's names and they climbed up the stage.

"Jaune Arc. Nora Valkyrie. Pyrrha Nikos. Lie Ren." He called "You will work together as Team JNPR, leaded by…"

He turned to face Jaune and paused for a half-second. The boy had a very ugly bruise on his face and he didn't seem too happy about it.

"Leaded by Jaune Arc." The headmaster concluded and smiled at the boy "Take care of that injury. Also, good work." He said in a quieter tone.

The four students stepped back and began to descend from the stage. Ruby passed by the blonde boy and looked at him.

"What happened?" She asked rather insensitively.

"Deathclaw. I also fell on my face." He answered briefly "What about you guys?"

"Nevermore. It was fun!" The girl answered.

Jaune continued walking and sulked even more. Pyrrha patted his back comfortably.

"Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long." Ozpin called, and the four went up the stage "You will work together as Team RWBY, leaded by… Ruby Rose."

The redhead opened her mouth in surprise. Yang screamed how proud she was of her little sister. Weiss was a little surprised by the choice of leader, but a shared look with Blake made her stay quiet and accept the fact.

Ozpin watched the four for a few more seconds. His expression grew darker for a moment, but nobody noticed. Then, he smiled, as if nothing has happened.

"This looks to be a good year." He commented, and then left the microphone. He approached the girls "Take care, the four of you. I'm sure the future has a lot reserved for you."

He drank from his coffee, and then left the room without another word. The newly founded team RWBY shared a few weird glances before forgetting the headmaster's words.

-x-


	4. Come to me

_She walked through the forest, her hood covering her head while snow fell all around her. The place was familiar to her, but there was something wrong about it. The trees were of a sickly grey and the sky seemed bleak, as if the sun and stars had all disappeared._

_ The little girl looked ahead, never slowing down, but her legs hurt, each step she took was harder than the last. For some reason, her vision was blurry, and she could feel tears streaming down her face._

_ She blinked, and found herself in front of a cloaked figure, whose face was also covered by a hood._

_ "H-hello?" The girl called while shivering._

_ The white figure stood still, its identity unidentifiable._

_ "Come to me, Ruby."_

_ The girl in red flinched. That voice scared her…. It was distorted, evil, like nothing she had ever heard before._

_ "Ruby. Come to me, Ruby."_

_ "Who are you? Tell me, please!"_

_ "Ruby. Come to me, Ruby. Ruby."_

_ She backed away, stumbled and fell on the snow. The figure turned its head down and looked at her, and for a moment, she saw its eyes. Pure, shining white eyes._

_ "Ruby."_

_ "Stop! You're scaring me!"_

_ "Ruby. Ruby. Ruby."_

-x-

"Ruby! Wake up, already!"

Weiss stood beside the bunk bed, looking up at her young leader in frustration. She had been calling the redhead occasionally for the last few minutes, but got no response. She crossed her arms and sat at the opposite lower bed.

"Yang! Make your sister get up!" She pleaded "We can't get to class late _again_, or our grades will be terrible."

The blonde looked at the heiress and rolled her eyes.

"It was you who asked."

She punched the bed above her. A very loud yelp was heard, and suddenly Ruby was on the ground between the two beds.

"W-what?!" The youngest girl exclaimed, sitting up. She looked between her sister and Weiss "Why? Who had this idea?!"

The two blurted out each other's name at the same time.

"What! That is not how I do things!" Weiss defended herself, wearing her usual offended expression "I tried waking you up like a normal person for minutes, but you didn't respond."

"Yeah…" Ruby agreed "But you can be pretty mean sometimes…" She muttered.

"What did you say?" The heiress questioned pointedly.

"Nothing." The leader answered quickly before looking at her sister "Couldn't you just have shaken me or something?"

Yang raised her arms apologetically.

"That doesn't sound quite as fun. Sorry." She explained, but then frowned "You've been sleeping in a lot lately. Is something wrong?"

"Uh, no." Ruby said lamely.

Both Yang and Weiss glared at her, clearly not believing their leader. Even Blake looked from atop her bed with an amused expression.

"Do you also despise Crescent Rose with all your heart?" The quiet girl deadpanned.

"Uh… I have to go to the bathroom!" Ruby screamed and rushed out of the room in the blink of an eye.

"Yup. Something's wrong." Yang sighed, resting her head on her hands.

Weiss raised herself from bed and picked up Myrtenaster. She looked at the weapon carefully, checking to see if there was anything that could cause problems in combat. After a few seconds, she sheathed the rapier and looked at her teammates.

"We had better get to class. Ruby can catch up later."

Yang got up and Blake jumped down from the bunk top. The three girls went out of the room and walked through the hallways of the school. At first Weiss and Blake walked together at the front, but after a while the black-haired girl slowed down until she was beside Yang, who still looked worried.

"Hey. Do you think it's something serious? With Ruby, I mean." She said evenly.

The blond girl's shoulders dropped a little.

"Sincerely, Blake… I have no idea. I've never seen her acting this way before." She confessed in a sad tone "Ever since we got to Beacon, she's been kinda strange. Sometimes she gets distracted all of a sudden, looking out of windows or something. And not in a excited Ruby way. Like, normal person way."

"Maybe she's growing up?" Blake suggested "Teens are all about angst."

Yang rolled her eyes.

"_Please_. Not in _my_ family they aren't." She said, looking almost offended "Besides, Ruby never sleeps in. She's the definition of a morning person. And sometimes I hear her muttering in her sleep, like she's having nightmares, you know?"

"She doesn't strike me like someone who would have nightmares. I mean, she really enjoys hunting Grimm, for a starter. What could scare someone like that?" Blake mused.

The blonde looked at the ground, pondering the question. She really couldn't think of anything that would give Ruby nightmares. In almost all ways, she was braver than her older sister even.

_Damnit, there's no answer. This shouldn't be happening! I've always been able to help Ruby. She's been with me all my life. Why can't I figure her problem out this time?_

"I'm sure everything will be okay, Yang. If you need me to help, just ask." Blake offered.

"Thanks. You're a pretty good person, Blake." Yang smiled.

The black-haired girl slowed down for a second, her eyes widening a bit.

_You're wrong, Yang. Stay away_.

She shook her head and continued walking. Luckily, the blonde seemed to not have noticed her brief pause.

"You can also ask Weiss for help anytime." She whispered so the heiress wouldn't hear "She may seem cold from the outside, but she cares about Ruby too."

"Really? Doesn't seem so to me." Yang answered in disbelief.

"She'll open up. I know it. Just don't make a big deal of her behavior." Blake assured.

Yang nodded, and her thoughts turned back to Ruby.

Blake looked away and frowned a bit.

_Miss Belladonna, you're the biggest hypocrite alive._

-x-

Ruby stopped in front of the door and reached for the knob. She touched the handle and gulped, her throat dry.

_Be discreet. Be the ninja. Be the Blake._

She repeated the thought a few times before turning the handle and poking her head into the classroom. She looked around and smiled. Nobody seemed to notice her.

Ruby opened the door more and it made a terrible screeching noise as it rasped against the floor. Suddenly, dozens of heads turned to look at the redhead.

Professor Port was up on the stage, doing his usual ranting about his many adventures in the wilds, killing the biggest and meanest Grimm ever. Nobody was sure if he was exaggerating or simply making everything up.

"Miss Rose. You're late." He boomed, and she felt her face go red "That is not acceptable behavior coming from a Huntress, even one in training."

_Be cool. Be natural. Be the Yang!_

She stepped into the classroom and raised both of her thumbs while smiling widely.

"It's okay, professor. It won't happen again!" She yelled so loud even the professor raised his eyebrows.

"Just take a seat, Miss Rose, and be quiet."

The girl lowered her head in shame and walked to the classes, taking a seat beside Yang. The blonde smiled at her.

"Don't try being me, sis. Nobody can pull that off." She advised quietly.

Ruby pouted and crossed her arms.

_Be offended. Be annoyed. Be the Weiss- ah, forget it, just be the Ruby._

She spent the next minutes listening to Port's amazing Grimm massacre tales. Halfway through the lecture, she stopped paying attention, and simply took to staring blankly ahead. The professor didn't seem to notice, maybe because the majority of the students looked the same as her.

However, she snapped out of this state when she heard a faint whisper.

"Ruby."

The redhead looked to Yang, but the blonde was in usual Port-class mode. Ruby shrugged, assuming she had just fabricated things out of sheer boredom.

"Ruby!"

She looked around, but nobody was paying attention to her. She frowned confusedly.

"You dunce!"

Ruby looked up and backwards and finally found Weiss's frustrated face.

"Hi." The redhead whispered.

"Are you okay?" The heiress asked in the same tone.

"I'm scared." Ruby admitted.

"Really? Why?" Weiss questioned worriedly.

"You're talking _in class_. You're _Weiss Schnee_. Don't you see something wrong in this situation?"

Weiss had to gather all of her strength and patience in order to not yell at her leader in anger. She counted from one to three several times before whispering again.

"This is an exception. It will _never_ happen again." She looked at Port nervously, but he was too engrossed in his own talking to notice the conversation "Now answer the question! Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why do you ask?" Ruby answered calmly.

"Don't you lie to me, Ruby Rose! This morning was not _okay_. I'll get to the bottom of this!"

"Aw, Weiss! You really care about people after all." The redhead smiled brightly.

Weiss's face reddened immediately.

"No, I-I don't care! It's about the team performance, no personal feelings!" She whispered hurriedly.

"I knew your icy heart would melt eventually, Weiss. I'm so happy!" Ruby said, completely ignoring her teammate's words.

The heiress's hands slammed against her desk.

"No! I don't care! Stop spreading lies born of your stupid little girl imagination!" She blurted out.

The classroom got silent. The white-haired girl covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widened in a way completely unfit of her usual behavior.

"Miss Schnee? What is the cause of this outburst?" Port asked, leering at her from the stage "Surely that was not directed at me?"

"No!" Weiss yelled, and then covered her mouth again. She took a deep breath before speaking again in a composed tone "I was… daydreaming, professor. And I… talk when I… dream…"

"That's preposterous!" Port boomed "Luckily, you have very good grades and are an exemplar young lady. I'll let this incident pass this once."

"Thank you!" The heiress blurted out. She then lowered her head "I'll just stop talking."

"That would be for the best." The professor remarked, and then resumed his tale.

At her side, Blake chuckled.

"You had better cool down, ice queen, or you'll melt." She whispered playfully.

Weiss seemed to lower in size.

"I hate you all."

-x-

Team RWBY sat down in their table on the school cafeteria. Students chatted and ate loudly all around, but they had managed to find their own quiet place to talk and have fun.

Team JNPR always sat with them. However, as Ruby took her seat, she noticed something strange.

"Where's Jaune?" She asked.

Pyrrha looked up from her plate. She contorted her mouth a little, as if in thought, before shaking her head.

"I have no idea." She answered briefly.

"He's been absent a lot lately. Hanging out with Cardin Winchester." Ruby noted, making a disgusted face at the mention of the bully.

"Yeah, well. I'm sure he has his reasons, he just doesn't want to share them with anyone." The experienced champion said bitterly, turning her attention to her plate once again "Of course, he's done a lot of secret-keeping before."

"What?" Yang intruded confusedly.

Pyrrha looked at the blonde sadly but didn't respond. The sisters shared a concerned look, deciding to leave the girl alone with her thoughts. They turned to Nora, who once again was sharing her weird dreams with anyone that wished (or not) to hear, while Ren ate beside her, occasionally adding or correcting a detail of the story. Nobody questioned how he knew so much about what his friend dreamed.

After a few minutes, Jaune finally made his appearance. He sat beside Pyrrha and sighed. He had an ugly bruise at the side of his head, and while he frequently had those, they were always from accidents. This one looked like it was made on purpose.

"You're hurt." Pyrrha noted.

"Don't worry. It's not bothering me at all." He answered, smiling tentatively to his partner.

"Jaune." She said in a serious tone "Who did this to you?"

"I did this to myself, okay?" He responded, before muttering beneath his breath "Maybe not directly, but it's my fault for being stupid."

Pyrrha got up from her seat and put her hands on her hips. She stared down at Jaune, but he refused to stare back. Everyone on the table looked at the pair nervously. They had never seen Pyrrha angry before, much less at her partner.

"You know what, Jaune? I've been helping you since the beginning of the semester. I did not even _know _you that much, but you looked like a good guy, even when you were flirting with both me and Weiss the first time you saw us. I've been nothing but supportive and friendly to you."

"Uh, Pyrrha, maybe you should calm down and you two could-" Ruby spoke up meekly, but stopped when the girl looked at her briefly.

"No! I'm tired of talking to you, Jaune. I'm tired of helping. I don't know what trouble you've gotten yourself into, because you've evaded me every time I asked about it! Now, you help yourself. I won't be there to pick up the pieces if you don't."

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha. I just can't tell you." Jaune said. He seemed genuinely sad.

Pyrrha looked at him and didn't speak for a few seconds.

"No more excuses." She said evenly "Get your problem fixed, before one of us has to leave the team." She looked at everyone else who was gathered around the table

"I'm sorry you guys had to see all of that, I didn't mean to spoil the mood. Have a nice day."

She turned her back and walked away in a quick pace. Everyone looked to Jaune, who was staring at his plate in silence.

"Get up, you dunce!" Weiss exclaimed "Go after her and make up before it's too late!"

"I can't talk to her. She wants to know what's happening, but it's only gonna make things worse." Jaune explained "You all listened. She doesn't want excuses."

"Then you gotta fix your problem. Seriously, Jaune. You can't just stand by this time." Yang joined in with a nicer tone than Weiss had used.

Jaune sighed, and then his Scroll buzzed. He looked at it and groaned.

"I'm so sorry, guys. I gotta do something right now." He got up and looked at everyone sadly "I know this just makes me look like even more of a jerk, but I really can't ignore this. I'll try to fix stuff. I promise."

He took off running, clearly distressed. Nora and Ren shared a glance and got up too.

"We're gonna go talk to Pyrrha. Maybe cheer up her up a bit." Nora said. She was speaking in a tone disturbingly normal for her.

The pair left quickly. Team RWBY stayed at the table, finishing their meals in a strange silence.

"I bet the root of everything is Cardin." Blake said. The team looked at her seriously. She wasn't one to share her opinions in conflicts like this "We've seen Jaune hanging out with him and his team, and he didn't look too happy."

"Well, Cardin has always picked on Jaune. Why would it affect him more now?" Yang questioned, but then she snapped her fingers "Pyrrha hinted that Jaune was keeping _another _secret, but she knows what it is. And if Jaune told her recently, then maybe Cardin knows it too?"

"Blackmail? That seems a bit extreme for a Beacon student." Weiss commented.

Blake looked at the heiress and raised an eyebrow.

"Cardin _is_ a bully. Jaune may be his only human victim, but he's always harassing the faunus students. And from what I've seen, they get much worse than Jaune."

"Well… Jaune is someone easy to bully around. Sorry, I don't mean to belittle him or anything, but we have to be frank here." Weiss said. Her teammates looked a bit uncomfortable talking about their friend like that, but they saw her point "So there's always going to be someone to bully him. And the faunus aren't saints. So we can't just assume Cardin would seriously blackmail someone just because he bullies-"

"Wait. Go back to the faunus point." Blake interrupted "What exactly do you mean?"

Weiss didn't speak for a few seconds. She had a look of an adult trying to formulate an explanation of something obvious to a child.

"You know what I mean." Weiss said lamely. She didn't sound at all like her usual eloquent self "Most of the faunus are evil. They've been murdering and stealing from us for centuries. So maybe Cardin's picking on them is justified."

"That is not true, Weiss!" Blake exclaimed in disbelief "The White Fang is evil, not the faunus. You can't judge them based on one terrorist organization."

"Most of them do join the White Fang, though." Weiss said matter-of-factly.

Blake took a deep breath and shook her head. She got up from her seat calmly.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Weiss. I'm going back to our dorm."

She started walking away to the exit. Weiss looked at her teammates in confusion. Yang shrugged her shoulders, and Ruby didn't say anything. The heiress got up and followed her partner in a hurry.

The blonde girl turned back to her plate, only to find her food was cold. She crossed her arms.

"Well, this was a fun lunch. Right, Ruby?"

The redhead girl blinked and looked at her sister.

"You could say that." She answered, smiling faintly.

"You okay, sis?" Yang asked.

"Sure. I just have a lot to think about, you know, concerning Jaune and Pyrrha and stuff." Ruby got up "I'm gonna get Crescent Rose and train a bit. Wanna meet me later?"

"Maybe. Enjoy your date with your weapon."

The younger sister stuck her tongue out playfully before leaving.

Yang looked at her plate again and her stomach growled.

"I hope they're still serving food." She muttered sadly to herself.

-x-

**Hello, readers. It is I, Zeroan, the one and only.  
>Okay, let's drop this silly act. I just wanted to explain some stuff that might confuse you guys about this story.<br>Children of Summer is set in pretty much the same universe as original RWBY. Unless stated otherwise in the story or by Word of God (ME! HAH!), lore and backstories are the same.  
>This is currently Act 1, which runs parallel to RWBY Volume 1. You've gotten some hints in the prologue and this chapter about the over-arching story, but for now you can expect nothing too out of the normal. But maybe the different take on Jaunedice and Ruby's dream can give you an idea of the tone I'm going for here.<br>Anyway, thank you for reading this story of mine. I hope you guys enjoy what i have in store.  
><strong>

** -Zeroan**


	5. Hallways and rooftops

_Once again, she walked through the forest, snow falling around her. Still, she couldn't quite place where she was, but deep down, she knew she had been there before. The cloaked figure appeared in front of her, as it always did._

_ It called the little girl again._

_ "Ruby. Come to me, Ruby."_

_ "Who are you? Please, I need you to answer me!"_

_ The white figure never responded._

_ "Come to me, Ruby. Ruby. Come to me."_

_ "I can't! I don't know how to find you! Tell me who you are!"_

_ Her pleas weren't heard._

_ "Ruby. Ruby. Ruby."_

_ The little girl growled angrily and reached her hand to grab the figure's hood._

_ "No."_

_ The distorted voice boomed throughout the forest. Darkness rushed out of the figure's cloak, surrounding the girl in black._

_ She couldn't breathe._

_ She couldn't see._

_ She couldn't talk._

_ She could only hear._

_ "Come to me, Ruby."_

-x-

Ruby woke up suddenly and sat up in her bed, eyes wide in terror. She remembered the dream, so vivid and horrible. Tears started rolling down her cheeks, but she closed her eyes to stop them.

_I'm not a little girl. I'm not in that forest. Nobody can hurt me here._

She let her breathing stabilize, and then she blinked a few times and dried her face with her bed sheets. The redhead looked at Weiss and Blake on the opposite bunk bed. They were fast asleep. A quick look at Yang in the bed beneath her wielded the same answer.

Ruby slid down to the floor silently. She walked in the dark to the door and opened it carefully, doing her best not to wake anyone up. The young girl stepped outside and closed the door.

She pressed her back against the wall of the hallway and slid down to the ground. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again.

Jaune was sitting a few meters away, in the same position she was in.

"Uh… Hi." They said in unison.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. If there existed an awkwardness scale, this moment would be ranked pretty high in it.

"Trouble sleeping?" Jaune asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Just a nightmare. I thought I would get some fresh air." Ruby answered.

"In the hallway?" The blonde said slowly.

"I got lazy. Don't judge me." She defended herself.

Jaune raised his arms peacefully. Ruby took a closer look at him. His bruise had faded considerably in the last three days, but his eyes had dark rings around them, as if he hadn't been sleeping well. His shoulders were slumped, and he didn't have even a little of his usual cheeriness on his face.

"What about you? Why are you taking a breath of hallway air?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, you know." He avoided her gaze "The whole me and Pyrrha and stuff situation. I can't sleep in there. I end up feeling bad."

"Emotionally or physically?" Ruby blurted out.

"Both. It's not pretty to look at, trust me."

"So you're actually _sleeping_ here. And it's not the first time."

Jaune shrugged.

"Are you going to give me advice or yell at me like everyone else? Because, trust me, I could make a long list using their material." He said "I'm pretty sure half of the list would be Weiss, though. And what she told me was not advice."

Ruby chuckled. She had witnessed some of the heiress chiding her friend in person, and she had learned a good quantity of new sophisticated ways of calling someone stupid or useless.

"Go ahead. But I'm afraid I don't have anything to take note with." Jaune beckoned.

"Jaune… I know it's annoying that people keep trying to help you, each one in their different kind of way… But you know why they do that, right?" Ruby asked in a soft tone.

"Because if I keep being a jerk I'll tear JNPR apart?" He guessed.

"Nope. It's because they care about you. They are your friends. Even Weiss, with her kinda snobbish way, and Yang, who thinks everyone can solve their problems in an instant."

Ruby let out a small, encouraging smile.

"Everyone wants you to succeed and see you happy again. Pyrrha knows you can do it, and that's why she put you on an ultimatoe-"

"Ultimatum." Jaune corrected.

"Whatever. She gave you a push. Now you just gotta take the momentum and break through. Like me with Crescent Rose. Pew pew, and I go flying! Get it?"

Jaune smiled for the first time in the conversation.

"Maybe the scythe analogy was a little too much. But I get what you mean. I was too absorbed in my own suffering, so I didn't see that I was affecting my friends." He got up, his old energetic self appearing once again "Thank you so much, Ruby. You're the best friend anyone could ever have. You'll be a great huntress someday, you know?"

"Aw, Jaune. You spend too much time around girls. You're getting sentimental." Ruby joked.

"I grew up with seven sisters." He said.

Ruby's jaw fell. Jaune chuckled and went inside his room.

_Well that was a seven-sisters-bomb-dropping if I've ever heard one._

-x-

The next day, team RWBY and JNPR were lunching at the cafeteria, as they always did. The mood was somber, most of it coming from Pyrrha and Jaune sitting side by side.

But for some reason, Jaune actually seemed happy. He didn't go as far as starting a conversation with anyone, but he was smiling widely and his eyes had regained their spark.

After a few minutes of silence, someone finally broke it.

"What the hell is wrong here? Why are you happy all of a sudden?" Weiss exclaimed.

Jaune simply shrugged, and the heiress groaned before attacking her food viciously. Blake distanced herself a little, becoming a bit wary of her partner's wrath.

Then, the blond boy's Scroll buzzed and he looked at it.

"I'm going to see my buddy Cardin. He should be arriving here just about… now."

The door of the cafeteria opened forcefully. Cardin walked in, his teammates right behind him. They marched to the RWBY table, all looking rather angry. Jaune got up and smiled at them.

"What the hell, Arc! You don't get to say _no_!" Cardin shouted as he got closer.

This attracted the attention of everyone nearby. Students started to whisper to each other, wondering what was happening.

"You _are_ going to do all of my homework, or I'll tell your secret to the headmaster!" The bully announced.

"Oh, Cardin, you always crack me up!" Jaune said and faked a laugh.

"Are you insane? Got so tired of a little work-out that you don't even care anymore?"

Jaune shook his head and approached Cardin, meeting him face to face.

"I have three things to say to you. I am not going to repeat, so listen carefully." He said in a more serious tone "Number one: the headmaster knows you're threatening me."

"So what? You're still in trouble, Arc."

Jaune slapped Cardin in the head lightly.

"Let me talk. Number two: the headmaster knows about my secret, and he doesn't care."

Cardin opened his mouth in shock. Pyrrha looked completely confused by that statement.

"Number three. I think this is the most important one, by the way. Don't let it go over your head." Jaune stopped smiling "Number three. You're the biggest asshole I've ever met."

"Well, you can go f-"

Jaune's punch connected directly to Cardin's jaw, sending him tumbling to the ground. The crowd cheered madly. The blond boy did a little bow and sat back on his place.

He looked at everyone's shocked expressions and chuckled.

"Dude! You just handed Cardin Winchester the biggest smack down in Beacon history!" Yang yelled.

"I think I'll regret it soon. It'll just make everything else I do seem even lamer." Jaune pointed out.

"You're probably right." Weiss agreed "But still. I didn't know you had it in you."

Jaune smiled appreciatively, and then looked at Pyrrha, who was still in a little bit of shock.

"All is forgiven?" He asked.

"Sure." Pyrrha answered slowly.

"Number four!" Jaune shouted, and then looked a look at everyone at the table "I've got the best friends in the whole wide world."

"Now you're just ruining the moment." Yang complained, and everyone laughed.

The table regained its usual flow of happy conversation. Nora tried to re-enact the scene, her being Jaune and Ren being Cardin, much to his distress. Most of them enjoyed the silliness, but as it happened, Jaune looked back to Ruby, who was smiling the brightest of them all.

"Number five." He said to her. She looked at him and inclined her head to the side curiously "I've got the bestest friend in the world."

"Yay! I'm so proud!" The redhead squealed and offered a fist to him.

He touched the fist with his own, smiling all the while.

-x-

That night, Pyrrha went looking for Jaune. He had sneaked off sometime in the afternoon, and nobody knew where he had gone to. She had a pretty good idea of where he would be, though.

Her guess turned out to be right. She found him sitting on the same rooftop where he had shared his secret with her. He was looking at the horizon, seemingly lost in thought.

The redhead champion poked him with her foot, and he got up immediately.

"Hey, Pyrrha. How are you?" He asked.

"I'm doing fine. I was just worried about you. Why did you leave all of a sudden?"

"I needed a little time to clear my head, that's all." He answered.

Pyrrha smiled at him. She could see he was back to his awkward, honest self.

"I have some questions I need answered, though. Will you answer them?"

"Fire them at me." He allowed.

"You said Ozpin knew about you not having qualified for Beacon studentship. But he let you stay anyway?"

Jaune scratched his head.

"Trust me, I was even more surprised than you. I went to talk to him and confess about it, which I now realize could and should have gone very wrong, but somehow he already knew. I have no idea why he is letting me stay, though." He smiled "What he didn't know was Cardin's blackmail and threats. He got pretty mad."

"I can't really picture that in my head. The headmaster doesn't seem like the angry type." Pyrrha commented.

"Well, you have to put it in perspective. Had it been anyone else, I would have said the person was mildly annoyed." He clarified.

"That makes sense." The champion agreed, before asking something else "What gave you the motivation to do something about Cardin?"

Jaune smiled, remembering the scene in the cafeteria and how happy everyone was afterwards. He had never anything that made people react in genuine admiration before, so the feeling was new to him.

"It was a little bit of everyone's advice, encouragement and scolding, actually." He admitted "But I owe it the most to two people: you, for giving me the initial push. I know I made you really mad, and I'm sorry I was such a jerk. But still, you didn't really give up on me, right?"

"No. I won't give up on anyone I care about until they truly fail. And if that happens, I'll help them get back up." Pyrrha said "Who was the other person? Ren? Blake? Ozpin?"

"Nope. The other socially awkward student who entered Beacon through special circumstances."

"Ruby?" The champion asked, surprised "What did she do?"

"She talked to me. No pressure. No advices. She just made me realize what was truly going on." Jaune said in great admiration "She doesn't look like it, but Ruby is actually a great, intelligent person. I think she _understands_ people, you know? And she always puts other people's needs and problems first. That's the kind of person I want to be."

Pyrrha watched him closely. She could see he spoke from his heart, and found her own perception of the young leader change in that moment. She thought Ruby was just a little girl who got accepted into Beacon because of her exceptional combat skills.

_But if it was that simple, I would have entered Beacon early too_, she thought. _Of course there's something more about her. Sorry for not noticing sooner, Ruby_.

"Hey." Jaune called.

"Yes?" She asked, breaking away from her thoughts.

"Ruby is amazing and all, but there's only one Pyrrha Nikos in this world." He said "Will you train me?"

Pyrrha smiled warmly. She was truly blessed to have met such good friends.

"I will, Jaune. I will."

-x-

In another rooftop not so far from that one, a lone girl in a red cloak sat, staring off into the distance. She seemed to be scanning the horizon for something, but truly she was just immersed in a thoughtless state.

Ruby was tired. She had great friends, an awesome sister, and attended her dream school. It was not in her nature to be sad, and all those things should have made her happy. But every night since the Emerald Forest was hard and cruel. She was not sure how to get rid of her sadness, so she just sat there, ignoring everything around her. It made the world go away for a little precious time.

Because of that, she didn't see the shadow that passed at her side before solidifying into a girl behind her. Blake looked at her leader for a few seconds before sitting at her side.

"Ruby."

The redhead looked at her teammate. She was a little surprised she had been found, but if she had to bet on who would find her, Blake it would be.

"Hi, Blake." She greeted back politely.

"Why are you out here all by yourself?" The black-haired girl asked.

"I just wanted somewhere quiet to think. About silly girl things, you know." Ruby answered, hoping to deceive her teammate.

The girl with the bow was unamused.

"If you're gonna lie, do it better. Practice with someone like Nora or Jaune." She advised "What are you really thinking about, Ruby?"

"I shouldn't bother you with it. It's actually kinda stupid, believe me." Ruby muttered.

Blake felt her heart ache as she heard the sadness in her leader's voice. She put an arm around the younger girl's shoulders comfortingly.

"Ruby, I know you were to one who finally convinced Jaune to fix his problems."

"How?"

"I noticed how he was smiling towards you during lunch, and how grateful he was to you." Blake smirked "I might also have overheard a little bit of the hallway conversation. Can you believe he has seven sisters?"

"Y-you eavesdropped? That's just rude, Blake!" Ruby protested, a little embarrassed.

"I was awake, and you two were not as silent as you think you were. I'm sorry, though." She apologized "I hate to do this, Ruby, but I'll use your own words against you."

The leader pouted, clearly frustrated by this new devilish side of her teammate.

"You told Jaune that everyone cared about him, and that we wanted to help him because of that. His not doing anything was hurting not only himself, but people close to him." Blake said "Can you think of anyone else who might have been and is still doing that?"

"You mean me?" Ruby asked hesitantly "Why would you think that?"

"We are worried about you, Ruby. Sometimes you're yourself, but then suddenly you get sad. You sleep in a lot, and Yang says that is not like you at all. Worst of all, you evade our questions or even outright lie to us." Blake explained in a soft tone "So take your own words into consideration, please. Don't isolate yourself from everyone else."

They sat in silence for a while. Ruby felt tears leave her eyes, but as she raised her hand to wipe them away, Blake stopped her. The black-haired girl made her friend put her head on her shoulder, and the leader cried silently for a few minutes.

When she stopped, Blake spoke again.

"Why are you sad, Ruby?"

"I warned you it was stupid. Don't get mad at me, okay?"

"I promise I won't get mad at whatever you tell me."

Ruby hesitated a little before she finally started speaking.

"The night I got my invitation to Beacon, I fought against some bad guys who were robbing a Dust shop. They were led by that Torchwick guy, you know?"

"Yeah, I know about him."

"Well, after he got away on his helicopter with his mage friend, I thought I saw someone on the distance. He or she wore a white cloak, but I couldn't really pick out any other details. I blinked, and there was nobody there, so I thought I had just imagined something."

Ruby took some time before continuing. Blake was paying full attention to her leader.

"But in the Emerald Forest, I saw that person again. And I swear, that time it was for real. I tried to get near, but they just kept getting away."

"Your Semblance is speed." Blake noted intrigued.

"And I used it! I think they teleported or something. It's the only explanation. Anyway, eventually I lost track of them and found Yang, and I asked her if she had seen the white figure. She said no, and them we just met with you and Weiss."

"Did you ever see this person again?"

"Not in real life" Ruby answered, and her tone lowered. This was the part that really upset her "Every night since then, I've been having this dream, a nightmare actually. I'm in a forest covered by snow, and I swear I know that place, but I just can't figure out where it is. And I meet the white figure, from up close, but I can't see its face. Sometimes I can see white eyes, but that's all. And then it- It… Blake, it…

Ruby shivered, staring ahead of her in terror. Blake grabbed the girl and hugged her, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"It's okay, Ruby. You can tell me. I'll protect you."

_I'll protect you_.

Her words echoed on her own head, and Blake felt tears surge in her eyes. She held them back. Now wasn't the time to show weakness. She had to be strong.

"Ruby. I'm here. You're okay."

The young leader retreated from the hug.

"It talks. It calls my name, and tells me to come to it. And it doesn't matter what I say, it just keeps repeating the same things. Sometimes I try to pull its hood down, but I… I die. I think." She looked at Blake and smiled sadly "Every night it's the same thing. There are days I can't even fall asleep because I'm too afraid. And I can't help but think that maybe being awake is no better at all."

"What do you mean, Ruby?" Her teammate asked, frowning.

"I _know_ that figure is real, Blake. I saw it with my own eyes. But nobody else did." The redhead muttered "It is haunting me, and someday it will hurt me, or worse."

Blake stayed silent for a while. She was by no means a believer of visions and hauntings, but the way Ruby spoke, so afraid but also so certain of what she was saying, made her think there was something truly wrong going on around the leader.

"Ruby, I know it scares you, and you're totally justified in being that way. But when we dream, we don't have full control of anything. In a way, our own minds turn against us." Blake said slowly "But maybe you can do something about that. You've been doing the same thing every time you have that dream, so if you do things differently, it will change, hopefully for the better."

"Maybe that will work… But it won't change the fact that I'm being haunted."

"I have a simple solution for that part. It's something you love, pretty much an extension of yourself." The older girl smirked "I doubt that white figure can stand against Crescent Rose in real life."

Ruby laughed happily. That was an idea she could agree completely with.

"And never forget you have all of us ready to help. Yang, Weiss, me, JNPR… You don't have to face your fears alone." Blake said.

The redhead smiled and put her head against her friends shoulder. Her eyelids felt heavy, and the world was getting blurry. Her fear had kept awake for so long, she hadn't even noticed how tired she was.

"Thank you, Blake. You're so wise… and… kind…"

_Wise and kind_, the black-haired girl repeated in her head. _Maybe I should tell her right now. There may never a better opportunity. And if she finds out another way…_

"You know, Ruby, I wasn't always like this…" She started in an even tone.

The older girl waited for a response. She expected an immediate question, since she had never talked about herself to anyone in Beacon before. But after a few seconds of silence, she looked to her side, only to find her leader in deep sleep, using her friend as support.

Blake smiled.

"I'll tell you another day. Good night, Ruby."

-x-

_The little girl stood in the middle of the snowy forest. She waited patiently, and soon the person in white appeared meters ahead of her._

_ "Ruby. Come to me, Ruby."_

_ The girl lifted her chin in defiance and spoke back. Her voice echoed through the forest._

_ "No."_

_ The figure stared at her. White eyes shone inside its hood._

_ "Come to me, Ruby."_

_ "I said no!"_

_ The little girl's voice changed, as did her whole body. She was not a kid anymore, but a young woman, facing the ghost fearlessly. She reached her arm to the side, and a scythe appeared in her hand._

_ "You come to me."_

_ She turned her back and walked away, and the figure watched her go, unable to do anything._

_ Everything changed to black, and for the first time in months, Ruby Rose slept dreamlessly._

-x-


	6. Not a black and white world

"I-I can't believe it. How could you do this, Blake?"

Weiss glared at her partner. Blake stared back and crossed her arms, smiling smugly.

"How did it you keep it a secret for so long?" The heiress asked bewildered.

"I was very cunning and careful." Blake answered.

"I don't know how to react." Weiss muttered in shock.

"Yes. _Checkmate_."

Blake reached for Weiss's king piece and took it out of the board.

"You've been playing chess for only a few months. I was taught when I was five years old." The heiress said in frustration "This is just luck, you know? That's why you won."

"If you consider luck to be a synonym of strategy."

Weiss crossed her arms, but she couldn't stay angry for long. She smiled pleasantly and started to arrange the board for another round.

"Yeah, I'm just whining." She admitted "How come you're so good at this?"

"Well, I don't know if I'm actually that great. I just reacted to what you were doing. You thought you were dictating the game, so I used that to my advantage." Blake explained.

Weiss stopped organizing the pieces. Her smile dropped and she looked at the board in silence. Blake stared at her curiously.

"Something wrong, Weiss?" She asked.

The heiress sat back on her chair and sighed.

"It's just that… There are times when we talk or spend time together, and I feel…" She paused, struggling to say the next word "Inadequate."

"Oh." Blake said. She certainly hadn't been expecting Weiss to talk about something like that "I'm sorry. Why do you feel that way?"

The white-haired girl gestured at her friend and smiled faintly.

"It's exactly that. You're so composed and smart. You always know what to say and how to take other people's feelings in consideration. But you never boast about it." Weiss explained slowly "I try to be like that, but it feels false to me. I have to force myself to think of people as equals, and that's just… sad."

"You can't expect to change all of a sudden. Nobody can do that. It's just the way you are." Blake argued.

"No! That's not right!" The heiress put her elbows on the table and supported her head with her hands "Everyone says that I'm cold and judgmental because I was born rich and famous. They say it's expected of me to be that way because my surname is Schnee. But as much as I despise these people, in the end, I just prove them right! I always fail to change, no matter how hard I try."

Blake waited for her friend to continue, but she seemed to have finished. She was staring at the wooden table between them, her head hanging low in shame and anger.

The girl with the bow looked at her sadly. She had judged the heiress prematurely like many people too, but now she could see how wrong she was to do so. Underneath all the layers of ice, there was a person reaching out desperately for other people's warmth.

"I wasn't always like this, Weiss. I didn't just grow up reading books and being understanding of everyone around me." Blake told slowly. She was threading through dangerous territory, so she considered her words carefully "I struggled a lot, more than I can put to words. It was only after some… things happened, that I changed."

Weiss looked at her with intrigue. Blake lowered her head a bit so she could talk more closely.

"And believe me; I didn't leave the struggle behind. It is inside of me every day, still." She smirked "You aren't the only one to put up an act."

"Really? I never noticed." The heiress said "What is your motive?"

Blake's heart raced.

_I talked too much. It's over. Damnit, damnit, damnit! I ruined everything._

"Weiss… I-I'm sorry, I can't tell-"

"It's okay." Her partner said simply, a smile illuminating her face "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I understand completely. You're such a good friend to me, Blake; it's time for me to become one to you."

Blake smiled back, relieved that her dreaded confession had been averted.

The heiress picked up her king chess piece.

"But right now, it is time for justice."

-x-

Team RWBY sat on the front row of the class, listening intently as Glynda Goodwitch talked about combat technique and the use of one's Semblance and aura for full effect.

"Now, you can all listen to me talk about fighting every week, but the only way for you to truly get better is by practicing." The professor said "So, I will take two students and they will duel. This will serve as both a way for them to train and for the watchers to learn. Any volunteers?"

She looked at the crowd, and much to her disappointment, saw Ruby Rose almost jumping with enthusiasm as she waved her hand. The professor looked elsewhere in the room, but found no one.

"Miss Rose, get up on the stage." She called, trying to hide her annoyance with the young student "Who will be her adversary?"

Yang was about to lift her hand, but another student stood up. He was a large bull faunus, with muscles too big for someone his age and little horns sticking out of his hair.

"I can beat that little girl to a pulp, professor! Count me in!" He yelled in a deep voice. His friends cheered around him.

"Get to the stage, Mister Thanus." Glynda said. She found herself taking Ruby's side all of a sudden.

As the faunus made his way to the stage, Yang whispered to her teammates.

"He's such a stupid brute. I bet Ruby can kick his ass easily, in any way she wants."

"Well, what can you expect from a bull faunus like him. They're all pretty stupid." Weiss whispered back, looking at him with contempt.

"Don't get started on that again, Weiss." Blake warned pointedly.

The heiress rolled her eyes. She still didn't get her partner's defense of the faunus, but decided to just drop the conversation before they started arguing.

In the stage, Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and took a ready stance. Thanus wielded a pair of bracers on his arms, and though they looked very resistant, she couldn't see anything special about them.

"Start!" Glynda announced as she hopped off the stage.

"Get ready, kid! I'm not holding back!" The faunus warned.

"Don't underestimate your opponents, you dummy!" She responded.

Ruby jumped and shot a bullet back, propelling herself forward in the air. She spun and attacked her opponent with the cable of her scythe, but he blocked with his arm.

He took a step forward and tried to grab her, but the redhead used her momentum to get higher and jumped on his stretched out arm. She did a somersault and landed behind him. With speed, she spun again and tried to hit him, but he blocked in the same manner as before.

_I need to be quicker_.

She spun her weapon and shot at him while backing away. He covered his face with his arms, blocking his own vision in the process. Ruby took the opportunity and ran back at him, passing beneath his legs and striking his back. He stumbled forward, his aura protecting him from any serious damage.

The girl didn't let up, slashing him repeatedly. She heard her friends cheer, and smiled. At this pace, victory was certain.

Suddenly, Thanus turned around and grabbed her by her shirt.

"Stupid bitch!" He yelled angrily.

With massive force, he lifted her up his head and threw her back down. She screamed painfully, but managed to roll to the side just in time to dodge his punches. She saw her weapon behind him, and started to run around him to retrieve it.

"Don't even think so!" He said, taking a step so the scythe was beneath him "What are you gonna do without your toy now?"

"Jerk!" She yelled.

Ruby somersaulted away to the opposite end of the stage and put a hand on the ground.

"Are you scared, little girl?" Thanus taunted.

She grinned, and shot forward in incredible speed, a trail of rose petals behind her. She jumped and landed a kick on his chest, making him slide several feet away from her.

Ruby picked up Crescent Rose and closed up the distance between them. She spun around with her momentum, striking him several times while he was out of balance. Eventually, he fell down and stopped fighting back.

"Ruby Rose is the winner." Glynda announced "Good job. She used her Semblance to her advantage, surprising Mr. Thanus when he thought his defense was unbreakable."

Ruby smiled and extended her hand to her opponent. He took it and stood up.

"Well fought." She said cheerfully.

"Shut up!" He exclaimed angrily.

He punched her in the face, and she stumbled back. Luckily, she hadn't totally lowered her aura yet, so nothing broke. Still, it stung like hell.

"What did you do that for?!" She yelled back.

"Beacon is not a place for kids. You don't deserve to be here!"

Glynda got up on the stage and lifted her wand. The faunus's cheek was hit by a ray of purple energy.

"Miss Rose has just shown why she deserves to be in this academy. You did the exact contrary." The professor said in a stern tone "Go to the headmaster's office and explain to him _exactly_ what happened. And if you don't, there will be a much bigger problem. Understood?"

Thanus nodded, his angry expression turned to shame. He walked out of the room in silence. Glynda looked back at Ruby.

"Are you hurt, miss Rose?"

"No. My aura protected me." The girl answered.

"Good. You're dismissed from class. Go rest in your dormitory, if you so wish."

Ruby nodded and left the classroom quietly.

-x-

The door of the dorm room was opened, and suddenly Ruby was pulled down from her bed to the ground. Yang poked her repeatedly and checked her face closely, much to the younger girl's embarrassment.

"Yang! Stop!" She slapped her sister's fingers away "I'm fine. It stung a little, but I don't feel anything now."

"Yeah, right. Tell me that when your nose starts bleeding." Yang said, and resumed her poking.

Weiss and Blake entered the room. The former was walking stiffly, just like she did when her rage was built up for a long time. Blake looked worried, but when she saw Ruby was unhurt, she relaxed and smiled.

"You're okay, Ruby?" The heiress asked urgently.

"Yes. But don't tell that to Yang, because she won't believe it." The redhead said annoyed.

Weiss sighed, and then crossed her arms and looked at Blake.

"Do you see what I mean about the faunus, now?" She asked angrily.

"No. My point still stands. You can't judge all the faunus because of one bully." Blake retorted, keeping her calm "You're angry, I understand. But it's over. You need to calm down, for your own good."

"_One _bully. _One _terrorist organization." Weiss said, ignoring her partner's later words "How much time do you think it will take before this _bully_ becomes a murderous terrorist?"

"You're exaggerating. He probably just has a grudge against Ruby because of her age and skill."

Weiss closed her fists in frustration.

"Blake, you can't keep making excuses for those people! It's because of this forgiving attitude that they become criminals."

"No, _your_ prejudiced attitude does that!" Blake exclaimed, losing her temper "You judge every faunus like they are murderers and thieves for _no reason_! You're ignorant, and refuse to see the truth!"

"I know the truth!" Weiss yelled "I've known the truth since I was a child!"

Yang had stopped poking Ruby. The sisters were now looking at their teammates worriedly. An angry Blake was unusual. An annoyed or frustrated Weiss was common. But a full-out yelling Weiss was another thing entirely.

"What do you mean, princess?" Blake asked, in a nasty tone they had never heard before "Did faunus activists steal your company's precious Dust? Were you painted in unjust colors because of your _terribly unfair_ heritage?"

Weiss's eyes narrowed. Her arms were shaking, and if it weren't for her trained composure, she would have hit her friend right then and there.

"None of that. Faunus killed my mother, right in front of me." She said in a low tone "You know why? To send a _message_. To warn every human that they were going to settle the score in blood, if they had to. And I understood the message very well, trust me. That day, I realized that every single one of those filthy animals were pure evil."

Blake stared at her partner for a few seconds. Her resolve seemed to waver, but she didn't back down.

"It wasn't always like that. The White Fang was forced to commit crime when there was no other way, because humans would only _pretend _to listen and care about the injustice they suffer." She argued in an even tone.

"So what do I care if they suffer? That gives them no right to kill innocent people!" Weiss exclaimed "Besides, it wasn't the White Fang who did it. They were just a bunch of sadistic nobodies. Orphans of the street that had such _tragic_ lives. Who can blame them, right? Who wouldn't become evil under that condition? Murder was the _only way_."

Blake shook with rage, and in a sudden move, she punched the wall without turning her eyes away from her partner.

"Yeah, Weiss! It was the only way! Nobody would listen before! Nobody cared! We had to become murderers for people to at least _fear_ us." She yelled "Because for every human mother killed, ten faunus innocents were already dead, abandoned and forgotten!"

She stopped yelling and breathed deeply. She looked at Weiss's frozen expression, and then at Ruby and Yang, who were looking at her in shock.

"_We_?" Weiss repeated.

Blake looked at her partner, and opened her mouth, but she couldn't find the words.

"I-I'm… I mean…"

She turned her back to them and ran out the room.

"What…" Weiss muttered, realization hitting her.

"I'm going after her!" Ruby said.

The redhead rushed out of the room in a shower of petals, leaving her teammates behind.

Yang looked at Weiss. She seemed like she would break down any second now.

"Weiss… Let's sit. Come on, you need to calm down." The blonde spoke in a gentle tone.

The heiress sat down on the ground and rested her back against her bed, looking blankly ahead. Yang sat beside her and put a hand over hers. In a sudden uncontrolled movement, Weiss whisked her hand away. She stared at it quietly.

_You did it again, Weiss. Just like that. Why can't you ever change? What will it take for you to forgive?_

Tears streamed down her face, and unlike ever before, she just let them fall, like any other girl would have.

-x-

Ruby followed her teammate through the academy grounds, but the black-haired girl was elusive, using her Semblance to spread clones of her in all directions. But the redhead never lost track of the real one for more than a few seconds.

"Blake! Stop, please! We can talk about this!" She screamed desperately.

The older girl looked back.

"I'm sorry. I can't stay! Not now that you know who I really am!"

"I already knew who you were before! You're awesome, and clever, and kind! It doesn't matter what you've done in the past! We're friends!" Ruby shouted.

Blake shook her head and continued running. She turned a corner and hid between a half dozen clones.

Ruby turned the corner and looked at them. She couldn't tell which one was real now. Before she could do anything else, however, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye.

On the rooftop of one of the dormitories, a silent figure in a white cloak watched Blake run away.

Ruby's eyes widened and she stepped back. The girl stumbled and fell down against the ground. Her thoughts became three words repeated in utter terror.

_Come to me_. _Come to me. Come to me._

She blinked, and the figure wasn't there anymore.

Ruby didn't get up. She rolled to her side and kept shivering in fear, like the little girl she thought she had left in her dreams.

_Come to me_.

-x-

** Did guys hear that? It sounded like _something_ hitting a fan. But maybe it's just me imagining things.**

** Anyway... Thanks to everyone who has followed and/or favorited _Children of Summer_. Also thank you Kathi9000 for the review! I hope this chapter and the next few can satisfy your Monochrome needs. The pairing will be important to the story, not just something thrown in just because I like it, so I'm building it up slowly.**

** Also, I've been pondering the best schedule for uploads. I could upload three times a week, but maybe that's a little rushed... I'll do that, but it might change if I slow down for some reason.**

** Again, a huge thank you to everyone who reads this story!**

**-Zeroan**


	7. Not a cruel, bloody one

_ She wandered the streets alone, head lowered, her face wet. The tears had stopped hours ago, but the void in her heart just grew bigger by the minute._

_ The little girl paid no mind to the people around her. Old men squirming on the ground, waiting for their time to come; beggars and vagabonds who looked at everyone like they were evaluating their worth and strength; families huddled together in the alleyways, some with children even younger than her._

_ Maybe in another life, she would have cared about them. A life where she hadn't been born to the same fate as these people._

_ She did envy them now, however. They all had something to look for, to want and wish. Death, money, safety… She had nothing._

_ It all changed when she hit something soft and stumbled back. She looked up in confusion and panic, and found a boy with fiery red hair staring at her. His eyes were black, his expression emotionless._

_ "S-sorry." She whispered._

"_It's no matter." He said, in a tone too serious for someone his age "Are you okay?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ She started to walk around him, but he held her by the shoulder._

_ "Did you lose someone?" He asked. No sympathy. That was a question everyone had to face where they lived._

_ "My parents." She said quickly "Please let me go."_

_ "What happened to them?"_

_ "I don't know!" The girl exclaimed, tears returning to her eyes._

_ She broke from his grasp, but he followed her._

_ "Hey! You can't stay alone! It's dangerous, especially for our kind!" He called._

_ "What?" She asked, looking back at him._

_ "You know what I'm talking about. Haven't you run into any anti-faunus assholes before?"_

_ "Yeah... I hate them." The girl answered venomously._

_ The boy smiled._

_ "Me too. Hey, I bet they got your parents." He said "Maybe we can get them back, or avenge them!"_

_ The little girl looked at him curiously. But in a few seconds, a new expression appeared in her face: hope and determination._

_ "You're in?" The boy asked "I got a group of people who can help too."_

_ "Yes!" She answered immediately._

_ "Good. Meet me here tomorrow."_

_ He started to walk away, but the girl grabbed him by the wrist._

_ "What's your name?" She asked innocently._

_ "I'm Adam. Adam Taurus." He answered after a few seconds. People didn't care much about names in that place._

_ "Mine is Blake. Nice to meet you, Adam."_

_ Adam smiled faintly._

_ "Same thing, Blake. See you tomorrow."_

_ He walked away, his hands on his pockets, as if no one around him held any importance._

-x-

Weiss sat on the ground of the dormitory, her back against her bed. She had stopped crying, but now she was just staring at her own hands in silence.

Yang was beside her, looking at her teammate helplessly. She had no idea Weiss could get so shaken up. Sure, Blake being a faunus and possibly a terrorist was shocking to everyone, but the blonde thought the white-haired girl would get more angry than sad.

"Weiss… I know you're upset and all, but you don't need to worry." She said softly "Ruby's gonna bring Blake back, and we'll fix everything."

"I-It's not that _simple_!" The heiress protested "Even if she comes back, how is she going to look at me every day? You heard all the unthoughtful, horrible things I said. There's no forgiving that."

"She'll understand. Blake isn't one to hold grudges."

"Or is she?" Weiss asked bitterly "Yesterday I wouldn't have even thought about her being a faunus, because she hid it so well… I'm a failure. I live with her, I am her _partner_… How could I not notice?"

Yang looked out the window. She too had had not idea about Blake's true self. But thinking about it now, there were plenty of hints. She defended the faunus so fervently, unlike she did anything else. She was secretive about her past and her abilities. And how she never removed her bow…

Yang's eyes widened.

"Oh wow! Weiss, her bow… She must have cat ears!" The blonde exclaimed.

Weiss looked at her teammate and inclined her head to the side. She couldn't help but smile faintly.

"I suppose that's right. I always wondered why such an intelligent and quiet person would wear a little girl's bow." The heiress said.

Yang smiled.

"See, princess? You still know who Blake is. She hasn't changed at all despite being a faunus." She said confidently "Whatever gap appears between you two, no matter how long, you can close it."

"Hmm. Maybe you're right." Weiss muttered "Thank you, Yang."

-x-

_"Okay, guys! We'll go inside quickly, and take out anyone who doesn't appear to be a prisoner or victim." Adam said._

_ There were five faunus behind him, all a little older than him, but they still respected him. Blake didn't know why, but only it made her feel safer close to the redhead boy._

_ He looked at her, beside him, and smiled faintly._

_ "Focus on finding you parents, but don't get too far from me, okay? If anyone attacks you, just avoid them and call for help." He instructed._

_ "I got it." Blake answered._

_ Adam lifted his hand up and crashed through the storage's door, wielding a small sword with his other hand. Blake followed closely, and then the rest of the faunus after her._

_ This alerted the guards inside immediately. They wore no protective clothing, but they had rifles and pistols at the ready._

_ Adam rushed in towards a bulk of them and slashed them with no hesitation. Three fell around him before he made his way to another group. His companions followed him, finishing those he left behind._

_ Blake's heart beat fast in her chest. She had seen violence in the streets before, but to be so close to it… It was the scariest thing ever. But she also smiled a little, because she knew these guards deserved what they were getting._

_ As Adam fought against another group of guards, one of them sneaked away and aimed his gun at the back of the boy's head. Blake opened her mouth to warn him, but was too late._

_ The bullet hit Adam's head and bounced back. He shook his head, a little stunned, but then resumed his fight. Blake's eyes widened. What had just happened?_

_ "Damnit! He's got aura!" The guard shouted angrily. He looked around and found Blake. He aimed his gun at her "I bet you don't, kid!"_

_ She closed her eyes and screamed, sure that she would die at that instant. But then a strange feeling passed through her body, as if she was moving at an unimaginable speed. Blake opened her eyes and found the guard looking at her scared._

_ "What the hell?! She turned into a fucking shadow!" He screamed._

_ His eyes widened and he dropped his weapon. Soon, he was on the ground too. Adam stood behind him, his sword bloody and sharp._

_ "That's all of them." He concluded "Was anyone found?"_

_ One of the faunus walked to the boy, carrying a person in his arms. He was a faunus too, and seemed to be at the verge of death._

_ "A prisoner, maybe. Found him in a back room."_

_ "Can you speak?" Adam questioned the dying man._

_ The man nodded weakly._

_ "Can you tell me what was happening here?"_

_ "Anti-faunus people. They were bringing in a lot of us here and killing them. I don't know why." He croaked._

_ "Anyone similar to this girl?"_

_ Adam pointed at Blake, who was looking at the man with her hands closed together, her expression hopeful. The man frowned a bit. He didn't want to have crushing a little girl's hopes as the last thing he did before dying, but he also knew it was for the best._

_ "Yeah. A woman with her lover. Looked a lot like this kid." He said "Kept saying stuff about her daughter in the streets."_

_ Blake fell to her knees and started crying. To have her hopes raised, only to be crushed again… She felt her whole world fall in pieces around her._

_Everyone looked away from the sad sight, except Adam. He got near her and bent his knees until they were face-to-face._

_ "Blake? It's okay. You're going to be fine." He consoled her in a soft tone._

_ "My mommy is dead! I'm never gonna be fine!" The girl screamed._

_ Adam hugged her. Blake held him tight, never wanting to let go._

_ "No, Blake… It's okay. You don't have to cry."_

_ Adam rubbed her head._

_ Blake stopped crying._

_ "I'll protect you. I promise."_

-x-

"Ruby?" Jaune called "What are you doing on the ground?"

The redhead blinked. She saw Jaune and Pyrrha looking down at her worriedly, the blue sky behind them.

"Uh… Nothing! I fell and found the ground to be rather nice, so I decided to stay down! Haha! I'm weird!" Ruby laughed nervously.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"Okay… Are you gonna get up, or do you need help?" She asked slowly.

The young leader jumped to her feet and shook her head repeatedly.

"I'm okay! Thanks for worrying! Gotta go now!"

She sped away towards the dormitories, leaving a trail of rose petals behind. Jaune and Pyrrha blinked and looked at each other in confusion.

"So, that happened." The champion stated.

"Better just forget it." Jaune decided.

-x-

Ruby stormed into the dormitory room and closed the door. She leaned against it and slid down to the ground, her expression panicked.

"Uh, Ruby?" Yang called "Did you get Blake?"

Her sister and Weiss were staring at her, side to side, and they both looked worried.

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat when she noticed Weiss's red eyes.

"What happened?" The heiress spoke in a weak tone.

"I screwed everything up! I'm so sorry!" Ruby blurted out.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked confusedly.

"I was following Blake, but she was using her semblance, and then something weird happened, and I lost her." Ruby said quickly and braced herself against the heiress's anger.

To her surprise, the white-haired girl stayed quiet. She was looking at Ruby with sad eyes… It was almost like she was giving up already.

"What happened exactly?" Yang asked "You wouldn't lose track of Blake unless it was something big…"

"Well…" Ruby gulped "Remember when I told you about the white figure I saw in the Emerald Forest?"

"Sure." Yang answered, slowly raising an eyebrow "What's that got to do with anything?"

The redhead looked at the ceiling, thinking about the best way to tell them about her dreams and the white figure. She shrugged and decided to just say everything as it was.

After she explained how the dreams had stopped, Weiss crossed her arms. She looked at her leader impatiently.

"So, that explains your mood some weeks ago, and how you got normal again, and all that. But what about Blake?" The heiress asked.

"I was chasing her, but then got a feeling there was someone watching us… and saw the white figure again, on the rooftop of one of the dormitories." Ruby said. She looked down in embarrassment "I got so scared, despite me telling myself every day that I can confront it. I think maybe it was just the worst moment for it to appear, with Blake running away…"

"Wow. I didn't know it was actually so serious, sis." Yang commented "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, it's a crazy story. I only told Blake because… Uh, she's Blake." Ruby answered, realizing how insensitive that phrase sounded considering the moment "Anyway! I'm sure everything's gonna be okay! We'll find Blake and bring her back!"

"What if the white figure appears again?" The blonde questioned.

Ruby raised her chin dutifully.

"Blake comes first. As a friend and teammate, she matters a lot more than anything else!"

Weiss got up and near Ruby. She extended a hand to the leader, and when she took it, she lifted her up. In a sudden movement, the heiress involved the redhead in a hug.

"I know I'm not the best teammate… Sometimes I ask myself why you even consider me a friend." She said "But I'm going to change, okay? And then no one on this team will have to shoulder their worries alone again, like you and Blake did…"

Ruby hugged her back and smiled widely.

"I knew you weren't truly an ice queen, Weiss!" She said happily.

"Don't exaggerate. I am _not_ rising up to your level of friendliness or energy…" The heiress warned and retreated from the hug, but she couldn't help but smile when she looked at Ruby's happy face "… dolt."

Yang got up and smiled widely.

"Come on, girls! Let's find our missing friend."

-x-

"Ozpin!"

The headmaster jumped on his seat and coffee flew from his mug and stained his desk and papers. He put it down and crossed his arms.

"Nice to hear from you again." He said bitterly.

"Shut up, and listen!" The mysterious woman exclaimed angrily "What the hell have you been doing regarding the girls? Did you not prepare them?"

"They've been attending classes and receiving very good grades." Ozpin answered matter-of-factly "So, yes, I have been preparing them."

"I mean for the _real_ problem. Grades aren't going to defeat anyone out there."

Ozpin shrugged.

"They've been learning, and they'll learn more when the time comes."

"Oh, you stupid-" The woman paused, deciding arguing with the headmaster was not worth the trouble "You should have warned them about their role in the future. Because of your laid-back approach, conflict has appeared in their midst."

"Really? Conflict between teenagers? What a shock." Ozpin said, and drank from his coffee.

"Blake Belladonna ran away from your school grounds. They know she's a faunus. Weiss Schnee is in shambles because of that. If you had talked to them, this wouldn't have happened."

Ozpin blew on his coffee, clearly not worried about the information. The woman sighed.

"Okay, then. I'll break the news to them soon, since you're too much of a coward to do your duty."

"Have fun." Ozpin said.

"Immortality's a bitch." The woman muttered, before disappearing.

The headmaster looked at his dirtied table and sighed.

"It truly is, dear."

-x-

Blake walked in the streets of Vale, her steps heavy and determined. Her eyes were fixed on her path. She had one hand around Gambol Shroud's handle tightly.

_You ruined my life. You stripped away everything I had and cared about, and eliminated my chance of a happy future. You brought me to a cruel, bloody world._

She reached for her bow and undid it in single movement.

_I don't care anymore. I have no place to go to. I don't want your world, but you blocked the way to the one I want._

She let it drop to the floor.

_You'll regret stepping into my life, Adam Taurus._


	8. Our world

Blake looked at the map of Vale with a steely gaze, memorizing the way she would take. People walked past her, and she felt their stares rise to her head, and subsequently, her ears. Someone stopped beside her, but when he noticed who she was, quickly stepped away.

_Hopefully they haven't changed their Vale headquarters. Being careful and scared was never the White Fang's way of doing things…_ She thought, ignoring the attention she was receiving. _I can make it to there by night. And whatever they're doing, I can stop them and get what I want._

Blake turned away from the map on the wall and started walking down the streets in a quick pace. She kept her head low, worried that someone would recognize her. It was a weekend, after all, so Beacon students were free of school and could spend their time in the city of Vale.

She hoped the cat ears would convince anyone from the academy that it wasn't really her, just someone very similar. Still, her team… or rather, ex-team, could be searching for her and maybe even enlisted help from their friends, and there was no way they wouldn't recognize her.

She caught herself slowing down and retook her quick pace. Thinking about those things was only hurting her. She had to do what she had to, and if anyone found her… Well, they would be just another obstacle.

Suddenly, she hit something heavy and stepped back. Blake shook her head and looked at whoever was in front of her. It was young girl in a dress and stockings, with short orange hair and large green eyes.

The girl inclined her head to the side and looked at Blake with curiosity.

"Hello, stranger!" She exclaimed suddenly. Blake jumped back a little, alarmed at the loud tone "My name is Penny! What is your name?"

The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I'm no one, really." She answered carefully "Sorry, I'm a bit busy at the moment. I have to go."

Blake took a step forward, but the girl blocked her path. She smiled widely, never taking her eyes off of Blake's.

"You look distressed! Surely there is some way I can help."

"I am not distressed. I just need to make my way to northeast Vale… And you're blocking the way to it." The faunus girl said, trying to not sound annoyed.

"Oh. I am so, so sorry!" Penny said, stepping aside "There, you can go now! It was nice meeting you…"

"Blake."

She looked at the strange girl for a few seconds, expecting another intervention, but she just kept staring at her. Blake started to walk away, still felling Penny's eyes on her back.

"Goodbye, friend!" She heard.

_I'm not your friend._ Blake thought, eager to get away from the weird girl.

-x-

The sky was getting dark as the reminder of Team RWBY walked the streets of Vale.

"Blake!" Ruby called, nearly bursting her lungs.

Her sister followed shortly, also screaming as loud as possible. Weiss walked a little behind them, a little embarrassed. She had been calling for her partner too, until she noticed how ridiculous the sight the three of them were making was.

"Will you two calm down?" Weiss said sharply "Even if she heard us, I don't think she would answer. It's more probable she would run."

"Do you have any other idea, princess?" Yang asked.

Weiss opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. She crossed her arms in frustration when her teammates started to yell again, but then she jumped when an even louder voice reached her ears.

"Salutations!"

The three girls stepped back when a strange, orange-haired girl appeared in front of them. They shared some brief glances, silently agreeing that this was a very weird person.

"See? You two attracted a weirdo with your reckless calling!" Weiss whispered angrily.

"My name is Penny! What are your names, strangers?" The girl asked curiously.

"Uh… I'm Ruby, this is my sister Yang, and that's Weiss." The redhead leader said, pointing to each one of them as they were introduced.

"Tell me, who is this Blake person you keep calling in an alarming and extreme fashion?" Penny questioned.

Ruby looked at her teammates. Weiss took an impassive face, and Yang just shrugged helplessly.

_Great. Leave me to deal with the weird girl_. Ruby thought bitterly. _Oh, the burdens of leadership_.

"She's our teammate. Or she was our teammate. It's complicated." She explained quickly "She… uh… Went away for a while, and now we're looking for her."

"Oh!" Penny exclaimed "Is she a cat faunus?"

"Yes… How did you know that?" Ruby asked, intrigued.

"I saw and befriended her. I think… She didn't seem very happy." Penny said, her tone a little sad.

Weiss's face lit up, and she put her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"You saw Blake? Where did she go? Was she okay?"

"Yes, northeast Vale, yes." Penny answered methodically "I can help you find her."

"Thank you, but we don't need the help." Ruby said "I mean, we appreciate it, but we'd rather…"

The redhead stopped talking as she looked at the horizon.

"You'd rather what?" Penny asked inquisitively.

Yang looked at her sister curiously. She noted Ruby's fixed gaze and how her arms were shaking a little. The blonde frowned worryingly and followed the direction she was staring at, and noticed something on top of a building.

Her heart beat faster as she realized what it was.

"Weiss." She said in an even tone "Look there."

"What?" The heiress exclaimed angrily "We have to go looking for Blake before she leaves the city!"

"_Weiss!_ I think it's the thing Ruby talked about. It's looking at us!" Yang explained urgently.

Weiss followed her teammates' gaze and spotted what they had already seen. A single figure, standing still on top of a building, with only a white cloak flowing with the wind.

"We have to run." Ruby whispered "It's going to _kill_ us."

Weiss stared at her leader, and her expression became hardened.

"No." The heiress said sternly. Ruby looked back at Weiss, and she regained a bit of her normal self "It can't kill us. You have to go after it, Ruby. Face it, like you know you need to."

"I'm not ready, Weiss-"

"You don't need to be ready! You're strong and skilled! Go, now!"

Ruby nodded slowly. She reached for Crescent Rose and unfolded it, and with a jump and some shots to the ground, she lifted herself up to the top of the buildings.

"Go after her, Yang. I'll bring Blake back." The heiress said.

The blonde nodded and followed Ruby on the ground.

Weiss sighed.

"What was that all about?" Penny asked loudly.

The white-haired girl jumped. She had forgotten about her presence in the confusion.

"It's nothing to worry about." Weiss lied and started walking towards northeast Vale "Do _not_ follow me!"

Penny looked at the heiress curiously, but decided to honor her wishes.

"Boy, did I make a bunch of friends today!" She said to herself, smiling.

-x-

Blake sneaked through the streets, using the cover of storehouses and containers. Northeast Vale was the city's storage and shipping section, so not a lot of civilians walked there, especially at night. That also meant, whoever, that it was a prime candidate for suspicious or outright criminal groups' centers of operations.

She had never been there before, but she had learned all of the White Fang's important meeting locations while she was a member. So when she spotted a few grunts using animal masks patrolling the area, she wasn't surprised.

The faunus girl used the shadows of the night to her advantage, keeping away from the criminal's sights. Once or twice, she had to use her Semblance to evade them before they took full notice of her.

With careful timing and patience, she eventually made her way to a bigger storehouse. She clung to its outside walls until she reached a ladder, which she promptly used to get to the roof.

She crouched near the edge and looked at the front of the area. Blake could see at least two dozen grunts standing guard in silence, covering all of the ways to get near the place. She realized how skilled she been to avoid all of them.

_I guess the time at Beacon paid off, after all_.

She sighed in frustration. Not one of those grunts looked important enough for what she needed. They probably didn't even know why they were there in the first, much less the information she wanted.

But her problem seemed to resolve itself when a helicopter appeared in the sky and started landing in front of the storehouse. When it stabilized itself, its hangar door opened and a bunch of White Fang members stepped out of it, carrying large quantities of what seemed to be Dust containers.

_Dust? Why would they need that?_ Blake thought. She had never heard of nor did any stealing of Dust when she was with the White Fang.

A man walked out of the helicopter. He wore a clean white suit, black pants and a hat that covered part of his orange hair. In one his hands he carried a steel cane which he spun leisurely.

"Come on, puppies, go faster. They're not even that heavy." He said loudly "But don't get too excited and drop them on the ground. You'd be in big problem if that happened, _especially_ if you survived the explosions."

_Roman Torchwick_. Blake thought, recognizing the man from television news. He was a world-famous crime-lord, whose main work seemed to be robbing Dust.

But why would he be involved with the White Fang? He wasn't a faunus, so he shouldn't be accepted in their ranks, much less as an authority figure. They had nothing to gain with his presence in their ranks.

Blake stood up and dropped to the ground, anger evident in her eyes. She used her Semblance, melding with the shadows until she was in front of Roman. The faunus girl unsheathed Gambol Shroud and pointed it at his throat.

"Wow, wow, wow! What is this?" He exclaimed, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here? You're not faunus!" Blake said, letting out a hiss involuntary.

"Hey, don't be prejudiced, dear." Torchwick spoke in a friendly tone "I promise that if you drop your weapon, I won't report this to your superior."

Blake looked at the grunts around them. They had aimed their guns at her, but were unwilling to shoot with the criminal so near her.

"Have you lowered yourselves so much that you now are allies with scum like this?" Blake accused angrily "You used to stand for something, even when your ways became darker… But _this_? Petty thievery? There's no hope for you."

"Oh, interesting. You're a deserter!" Roman chuckled "I guess we can't have a deal, then."

He lifted his cane and struck it against Blake's blade, making her lose her stance. He stepped back and aimed at her. The lower end of the cane opened and from it exited a powerful blast. The faunus girl was hit with full force and flew back against the wall of the storeroom painfully.

"And you seemed like such a lovely girl." Torchwick mocked.

Blake looked back at him and frowned angrily.

"Shut up." She said before melding into the shadows.

-x-

Ruby jumped from building to building at incredible speed, never taking her eyes off of the white figure. It was doing the same thing as before, in the Emerald Forest: disappearing and appearing further away each time, always keeping the same distance, but never fading from sight.

"Stop!" The redhead screamed "If you don't want me to come to you… Leave me alone! Just stop taunting me!"

Like always, the cloaked figure didn't respond. It simply continued getting away.

After many minutes, they arrived at the edge of the city. Beyond it was a great forest, a distant part of the Emerald Forest. It was a place filled with Grimm, especially deeper into it.

The white figure appeared on the ground, and Ruby promptly followed it, rolling against the grass to break her fall. She looked up and saw her target standing between the trees at the edge of the forest.

The redhead fixed Crescent Rose against the ground and aimed quickly. She shot a bullet, but it simply passed through the person, leaving no mark or injury. Ruby cursed under her breath.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked angrily "If you wanna hurt me… Give it a try already! I'm sick of playing games and being scared!"

"This is not a game, Ruby."

The leader stepped back, perplexed. That was… a feminine, human voice. It was soft, and had an almost unworldly aspect to it, but it was far away from the demonic sounds she heard in her dreams.

"So you can speak." The girl stated "Why didn't you do it sooner?"

"I did not want to. In fact, I shouldn't be doing so right now, but I have been forced to." The mysterious woman explained "I don't want to hurt you, Ruby, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to. Still, do not approach me, or I'll have to run away from you again."

"Tell me who you are, and I won't do that." Ruby demanded.

The white figure shook her head.

"I cannot tell you that. It's in your best interests to not know."

Ruby stared at the woman sharply. She couldn't make out any details, even from this closer distance. The redhead sighed. If she didn't want to share her identity, there was nothing to be done about it.

"All right." The leader said "So, what's your thing with me?"

"You have a very important job, Ruby Rose, and it's something you need to understand soon. It involves the safety of-" The woman paused "Oh, no. You have to run. There's Grimm coming."

"I can face some Grimm, thank you very much." Ruby said, a bit offended.

The woman gasped as something passed through her. She stepped to the side, and her hood fell, but soon she had disappeared.

A bunch of Beowolves jumped from the trees. They stood in a semi-circle in front of the girl, roaring menacingly.

"Stupid dogs!" Ruby exclaimed, angry to have the meeting interrupted.

She dashed towards the Grimm, slashing them with precision and speed, disposing of them with ease. Many of them ran away after noticing her skill, but some remained bravely.

Suddenly, Ruby was hit in the side and flew a few meters and fell to the ground, rolling ungracefully before stopping. She jumped back to her feet, only to be terrified at the sight of her new opponent.

It had humanoid form, but emitted what seemed to be a black smoke, much like some Grimm did in smaller scale. It had plates like those of Boarbatusks covering much of its body and long, unruly red hair that extended to its lower back, and some curves that suggested it was a female, if such a characteristic existed in Grimm.

"What!" Ruby exclaimed in disbelief. She had never seen a creature like that before.

It roared and jumped near the girl, trying to claw at her with sharp fingers. Ruby dodged in a hurry, feeling the air in front of her emptying. She yelped and jumped back, and then shot at the Grimm desperately.

The monster recoiled against the bullets, but didn't seem to suffer any damage. It roared infuriated, and its mouth seemed to fill with fire.

"Are you serious?!" The girl complained, dodging a barrage of flames.

The creature used the distraction the fire provided to get near Ruby, and she yelled with frighten, barely avoiding its claw. However, as she stepped back, she stumbled and fell to the ground, at the mercy of her enemy.

"Well, that sucks." She said, only realizing how stupid those last words were when she spoke them.

As luck would have it, she was saved from such dishonor when the monster was struck in the face by a burning fist and flew away from her.

"Don't touch my sister!" Yang screamed, her voice filled with pure hatred.

She followed the monster and punched it repeatedly, stunning it in place. It grunted and slashed at her face, but she ducked and hit its stomach forcefully.

It looked down and roared, breathing fire suddenly. Yang rolled to the side, a little bit of the flames catching on her legs, but it they didn't stay lit. The blonde yelled angrily and punched the Grimm in the chest, shattering its protective plate.

The monster looked at her, as if marking her as an enemy, and then ran away on all fours. Yang fell to the ground, exhausted. Ruby walked near her and dropped at her side, also tired.

"What a night, huh, sis?" The blonde joked "You're lucky I caught up in time."

"Yeah… Sorry about that. I didn't know you were following me." Ruby said.

"Well, you know I'll always be there if you're in trouble. So, in the future, when you chase someone, don't use your Semblance." Yang requested, before frowning "What happened to the white figure, after all?"

"We talked, actually. She's a woman, but she didn't want to reveal who she was." The redhead told quietly "And she didn't seem material… A Grimm passed right through her, and also my bullet."

Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Like a ghost?" She stated "Spooky."

"Maybe. She couldn't say much before we were interrupted…" Ruby's eyes widened "I saw her face for a brief second, though."

"Really?!" Yang exclaimed "Did you recognize her?"

The younger sister shrugged. The older one let herself fall to the ground, disappointed.

"Well, I'm sure she'll appear again. And hopefully you won't have to play cat and mouse."

Ruby smiled and lied down beside her friend. Unknown to Yang, however, her mind was turning to another mysterious place.

-x-

Blake appeared behind one of the grunts, slashing his back, making him fall to the ground. The ones around him yelped and fired at her, but she rolled towards the nearest one and took his legs out.

She jumped up and formed a clone that rushed towards the remaining ones, distracting them briefly. The faunus girl used her agility to get to the other side of the area while dodging the innumerous bullets being shot at her. With carefully aimed attacks, she defeated the grunts one by one.

"Are you kidding me?" Torchwick yelled, exasperated "Why do you have weapons if you can't land a single bullet?"

He shook his head and aimed his cane again. He fired a blast, but this time the girl was ready and dodged with a backflip. He continued firing, but she avoided the explosions nimbly. She didn't notice, however, as one grunt neared her and struck his weapon against the back of her head.

"Yes! That's it!" Roman encouraged "Go melee if you have to!"

The grunts yelled and charged at the girl. Blake lifted herself up and spun around, using her sword and sheath to repel them easily. However, Roman used the distraction and fired at her, landing a clean, powerful hit.

"Do you like roasted cat?" He joked, aiming another shot.

Blake grunted. She was on her knees, unable to get up again. The last explosion had emptied her aura, and actually hurt her a lot. She knew another one would be her end, but she was powerless to do anything.

She was surprised when tears formed in her eyes.

_I'm so sorry, Weiss. Ruby, Yang, everyone… I was so stupid. I hope you'll forgive me._

"No last words?" Torchwick mocked "Well, who can blame you. Not everyone is as creative as me."

He shot. Blake closed her eyes.

The pain never came.

"I don't say this to people very often, but…" A familiar voice rang in her ears "Go to hell, Roman Torchwick."

Blake opened her eyes and found Weiss standing in front of her, holding the blast with a glyph.

"Oh please, not another little warrior girl." Torchwick groaned "Do you know how much loss this one has already caused me?"

"Not enough." The heiress answered.

She slid forward using her glyphs, and struck the man with her rapier, though he blocked expertly. The white-haired girl spun and attacked several times, clashing her blade against his cane.

"Rapier, white hair, blue glyphs…" Roman said "You must be an ice queen."

"And you must be a mouth who cannot shut itself."

"Shush, ice queen. You need to practice your taunting."

Weiss jumped back and raised Myrtenaster, before bringing it down against the ground. A wall of ice raced towards Torchwick and he failed to react in time, becoming trapped in it.

"Taunt _that_." The heiress spoke, smiling proudly.

"That's enough. I can't stand anymore of this amateur trash-talking." The crime-lord rolled his eyes "_Sayonara_, princess."

He aimed his cane at the ground and shot, shattering the ice and blowing up a smoke cloud around him. Weiss coughed and ran out of the explosion area. When it dissipated, the man was nowhere to be seen.

The heiress sighed and turned back to Blake. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, not sure how to proceed.

"Thank you for the help, Weiss." The faunus finally said.

Weiss nodded and extended her hand. The black-haired girl took it and stood up. They faced each other silently, but Weiss couldn't help but turn her eyes to the ears on top of her friend's head.

"I guess there's no reason to hide them anymore, right?" Blake asked tentatively "But if you want me to, I'll do it."

"Hmm… Leave it as it is." Weiss smirked "They're kind of cute, actually."

The faunus blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"What about what you said before? Don't you hate me?" She asked sadly.

Weiss turned her gaze away for some seconds, formulating her thoughts with care.

"Look, Blake… I said things I shouldn't have… And I may still feel some hatred for your… kind." She said slowly "But I'm willing to change. You made me realize that it doesn't matter where we come from or how we were born… If we act differently today, what importance does the past have?"

"I think that's right." Blake agreed "Still, you must know that I did horrible things before I separated from the White Fang and-"

Weiss put a finger on her partner's lips.

"None of that!" She exclaimed "If you won't judge others for their past, you also mustn't judge yourself."

Blake smiled. She couldn't be more proud of her friend.

Weiss turned and looked at the sky thoughtfully, and the faunus girl joined her shortly. The night was filled with stars, and the shattered moon orbited above, glowing faintly.

"You know, Blake… This conflict between humans and faunus…" Weiss said "If you and I managed to save our friendship despite of everything… Everyone else can do the same. It _is_ possible to bridge the gap between the races."

"I used to believe the same, in a naïve way…" Blake spoke softly "I thought the faunus could force the humans to accept them. After I realized that was wrong, I thought we could hide amongst your kind and live peacefully, and that is also wrong."

Blake put an arm around Weiss's shoulders.

"These methods don't work, and even if they did… They would ultimately further the gap." She concluded "But maybe we can show both faunus and men that we can live together, even with our differences. We can set an example."

"Yes. We can do that." Weiss agreed "So promise me, Blake… Even if everyone else stands against us… Let's try to change their ways. From now, until the end. Let's stay together."

"I can allow it." Blake joked.

They smiled at each other.

"I promise." They said together.

-x-

Ruby and Yang sat on their beds in their dormitory, waiting anxiously.

"What if Weiss got hurt and never found Blake?" Ruby blurted out for the sixth time.

"Come on, sis, we already discussed that!" Yang rolled her eyes "If the ice queen doesn't bring back kitty cat by the morning, we'll go looking for them!"

The door of the room flung open.

"Who are you calling ice queen?" Weiss asked with her chin raised.

"Definitely not you." The blonde joked "Where's Blake? Did you find her?"

"I killed her." Weiss said in a serious tone.

Yang blinked. Ruby looked at her in shock.

"What - no - Weiss, you didn't…" She stumbled over her own words.

"What, did you think I would let her stay? She was dangerous!" The heiress crossed her arms "I had to do it."

Ruby was about to tear up, when she heard a familiar voice.

"Thankfully, kitty cats have nine lives." Blake said, sitting on the room's window.

"Blake!" The redhead yelled and charged to her friend, lifting her up in a hug "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Ruby! It's good to see you too, friend!" The faunus exclaimed, feeling the air leave her lungs slowly "I need to breathe, though…"

The leader dropped the girl on Weiss's bed immediately.

"Anything you need!" She blurted out.

Blake giggled at the younger girl's antics.

"It's good to have you back, Blake." Yang smiled widely "I don't think I could have provided emotional support to both Ruby and Weiss."

"I'm not emotional." Weiss remarked.

"Uh… You listened to my advice, hugged Ruby, and was desperate to find Blake." The blonde pointed out "Ice queen's not coming back after that."

"And you didn't even listen to her promise after she saved me." Blake commented.

"Oh. Marriage?"

Blake palmed her face, and Weiss got completely red.

"A-Anyway." Weiss said "What happened to you two?"

Yang's smile vanished, as did Ruby's. The heiress prepared herself for the worst. Blake listened carefully, as Weiss had told her about their chasing the white figure.

"Turns out, it was a woman." Yang said "Or a ghost-woman. That wasn't really clear."

"Yeah, it was weird. She talked like a normal person, but didn't make contact with anything and wouldn't tell me who she was." Ruby told.

"That's a bit frightening, but it doesn't seem to really worry you." Weiss pointed out.

"She disappeared after a bunch of Beowolves attacked me. I killed them easily, but then another Grimm came, and I have never seen anything like it, even in our textbooks." The redhead explained.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"You don't use our textbooks." She accused.

"That's beside the point. It was very powerful. It almost killed me, but Yang arrived just in time and saved me." Ruby said.

"And still, I didn't actually kill it. I think it got scared after I cracked its armor, so it ran away." Yang commented "Hopefully we'll never see it again."

"Your story was strange. I just beat up some White Fang goons and then Weiss fought against Roman Torchwick." Blake said.

"What." Ruby and Yang blurted out.

"I'm tired. Good night."

Blake shut her eyes and refused to talk anymore. The sisters shrugged their shoulders and decided to go to sleep too. It had been an eventful day, after all.

Weiss turned off the lights and stared at her bed, which was occupied by Blake. She looked up at the top bunk and felt a shiver run down her spine.

_There is no way I'm sleeping up there!_

She sat on the ground and rested her back against her bed. She listened to Blake's breathing, and it lured her into a deep, peaceful sleep.

-x-


	9. A deserved break

"I am truly sorry about this, gentlemen. Had I any choice on the matter, the tradition would be held like it always has been." Ozpin said in a placating tone "However, there are unfortunate circumstances at play that are far beyond even my control."

He stared at the holographic monitor in front of him, from which he was having a video conference with three older men. They had plain, boring looks, like those of many other businessmen or politics, much unlike the headmaster, who was very proud of his own particular style of fashion.

Of course, his apparent unprofessionalism did not help him when dealing with these kinds of people. In fact, they treated him almost as a foolish child most of the time. Fortunately, his calm and collected attitude made it so he didn't respond in kind.

"This is simply ridiculous, Ozpin. There is no other way to put it." One of the men complained "If you have your reasons, you must share them with us."

"If I told you the reason, you would scorn me for the rest of my life." The headmaster responded. He raised an eyebrow "Actually, that's not true. You will learn the truth soon enough, unfortunately. Until then, however, I will have to keep you in the dark."

Another one of the men growled furiously.

"This is the last straw, Ozpin! Your unprofessional and careless attitude may charm your students and colleagues, but to us, it simply shows how much of a child you really are."

"Answer us, and we'll forget about this." The last one offered in a serious tone.

Ozpin lifted his mug to his lips and took a long, delicious sip of the coffee. He looked at the ceiling, thinking quietly, and then started drinking again. One of the men coughed loudly.

"Headmaster?" He called impatiently.

Ozpin returned his gaze to the monitor and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. My apologies, gentlemen." He said in an innocent tone of voice "You can shut off the call any time."

One of them lifted his hand and was about to yell, but another one simply shook his head and reached for his own screen, ending the conference.

The headmaster couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Did you piss off the councilmen again?"

He looked back and noticed Glynda staring at him with disappointment.

"Of course. I can never ignore an opportunity to do that." He answered gleefully.

"Typical." The woman rolled her eyes "What did you do this time?"

"I canceled the Vytal Festival." His smile widened when he heard his assistant gasp "Do me a favor and start spreading the news to the students."

Glynda opened her mouth to shout at him, but realized it would be futile. In fact, the headmaster would probably be amused if she did that. So she decided to simply shake her head and carry out her task.

"What reason do I give for the canceling?" The woman asked.

"Say the headmaster woke up in a bad mood and is being an ass." He answered "Of course, you may alter that phrase to more suit your style."

Glynda rolled her eyes and started to make her way out of the office room.

"Wait." Ozpin called "Can you tell me where Team RWBY is having class right now?"

The assistant looked down at her tablet and used it for a few seconds.

"Classroom 202, with professor Oobleck." She raised an eyebrow "Why do you ask?"

The man shrugged.

"I want to ask Yang Xiao Long about the products she uses to keep her hair so beautiful." He joked "I guess middle age vanity is kicking in."

Glynda shook her head again and exited the room before her boss made another comment.

-x-

"And that is when, to his allies' dismay and his enemies' rejoice, King Farlik fell ill, and after three days, died." Oobleck said in a pace that half of his students couldn't even hope to keep up to "This simple occurrence shifted the whole political stage of the Four Kingdoms, and opened the path of another lineage to the throne. All because of one uncooked shrimp."

He darted around the classroom, staring several students in the face, until he stopped in front of Ruby, who was looking increasingly confused.

"What lesson can we take from this historical event, Miss Rose?" He asked slowly, or rather, in an average pace when compared to other people.

"Uh…" The redhead looked at her friends, but none of them seemed to know the answer "Always check you dinner before eating it?"

Oobleck blinked a few times.

"Unorthodox answer, but a right one nonetheless." He stated.

He looked to the door at the sound of a new arrival. Ozpin entered the room and walked until he was beside the hyperactive professor.

"Hello, students." He greeted.

A collective 'hello' left the student's mouth.

"Wake up, mister Arc." He called.

Jaune shot up from his desk at the sound of his name. He stood back against his chair and lifted his arms up, as if the police had just caught him committing a crime. The headmaster chuckled.

"I'm just passing by to give sad news." He clarified.

"Did Glynda die?" Nora yelled from the back of the room.

"No… I appreciate your concern for her, though." Ozpin answered "The news is… I have canceled the Vytal Tournament. It will not be held in Vale, and our school will not be participating."

The classroom exploded into yells of anger and disappointment. Ozpin looked at Oobleck, but found the professor to be looking at the students with an animated curiosity, as if their agitation was an interesting phenomenon to be studied.

The headmaster lifted a hand and slowly the room fell back into silence.

"Now, I cannot share the reason why at this moment in time. However, I am sure someone here knows the answer."

He walked slowly and stopped in front of Ruby. The girl seemed to shrink.

"Right, Miss Rose?" He inquired in a serious tone.

"Uh… You didn't check your dinner before eating, professor?" Ruby answered tentatively.

Ozpin blinked several times, actually looking disconcerted at the student's answer. He lowered his head a little and stared the redhead in the eyes.

"Did she not tell you?" He whispered, so that only she would hear him.

"What." Ruby stated flatly.

Ozpin retook his usual posture and drank from his coffee.

"Anyway." He said "Have a fun class, hunters and huntresses-in-training."

He exited the room without another word, leaving the students wondering what exactly went on inside their headmaster's head.

-x-

RWBY and JNPR sat down on their usual table at the school cafeteria. They were all disappointed at the news about the tournament. Well, some more or less than others.

"Man, I know this sucks and all…" Jaune said lamely "But I'm kinda glad I won't have to humiliate myself in the tournament."

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed indignantly "You've made great progress! Don't put yourself down."

"I'm just being realistic. Even if I fought well, I don't hold a candle to anyone in this table." He pointed out "At best, I'm an average combatant."

Pyrrha crossed her arms and glared at him. He lifted his arms immediately.

"Okay, sorry! I'll just eat my food in silence."

"You better do that." She said.

Meanwhile, Ruby pouted and looked down at her plate, not even in the mood to eat lunch.

"This absolutely sucks!" She exclaimed.

"Hey, sis. Don't beat yourself up over it." Yang advised, eating a large meal beside her "I was looking forward to competing too, but I'm sure we'll have other opportunities."

"But… I wanted to…"

"Wanted to do what?" The blonde inquired.

"To show off…" Ruby answered meekly.

Yang laughed at her little sister's childish attitude. She got up from her seat and patted the leader in the head.

"I'll get some cookies to cheer you up, okay?"

"Yay!" Ruby yelled, her face brightening up immediately.

"I'll also get some tuna for you, Blaky." Yang said.

The faunus glared at her.

"I'm not obsessed with fish just because I'm a cat faunus." She complained.

"Of course it's not because you're a faunus, but you still like tuna a lot." The blonde pointed out, prompting an even sharper glare from the brunette "Hey, no need to hiss at me."

Yang ran away before Blake could retort angrily. The faunus looked at her plate and crossed her arms. She couldn't stay mad for much time, however, and she couldn't help but smirk.

She had expected her true identity to change the way her friends interacted with her, but that had not been the case. Of course, JNPR had been surprised when she suddenly appeared in class sporting cat ears and had barraged her with questions afterwards, but otherwise they treated her as the same quiet, insightful girl as before.

Ruby still acted as the playful, happy little girl. Sometimes, Blake felt like she was the little sister she never had, and that made her feel a sense of belonging like never before. Yang had also accepted her faunus heritage in the blink of an eye, and it actually fueled a lot of jokes and pranks. However, the brunette was never offended, even if she pretended to be sometimes. It was just who Yang was, and she knew the blonde meant no disrespect.

As for Weiss… Well, she was who surprised Blake the most. The heiress had actually become more of a quiet, thoughtful girl. She now pondered her problems with tactfulness, when before she would be quick to complain and shout. She was very friendly to her teammates, and had even started to show a little bit of affection towards JNPR, though she would never admit that to anyone.

It was weird how an heiress to a company famous for its anti-faunus politics and a former White Fang terrorist had become such close friends. However, Blake could still feel something weird between them, and she wasn't sure it had anything to do with their differing pasts.

"You know, it is actually pretty strange that this would happen." Weiss commented, bringing Blake away from her thoughts.

"What?" The brunette asked confusedly.

"Cancelling the Vytal Tournament all of a sudden." The heiress clarified "It was only a few months away, and some students from the other kingdoms are here already. Most of all, it's simply too late for a decision so drastic to be made."

"I agree." Ren commented from the other side of the table. Nora was occupied with a stack of pancakes, so he was actually free of worries and could speak "We have one week before our break. When we come back, it will be our second semester, and that was supposed to be a time when we would have classes together with foreigners."

"Ozpin is a strange man." Blake commented "Who knows what he is thinking half of the time… He let Jaune stay, he recruited Ruby when she was only fifteen… I wouldn't be surprised if I learned he knows about my past."

"Hmm... Ruby!" Weiss called suddenly "You have inside information! Tell us what you know!"

The redhead jumped, almost falling to the ground. She had been occupied with moping about the fights she wouldn't have, so she had missed the entire conversation.

"W-What?" She asked nervously.

"Ozpin implied you knew why the Festival was cancelled." Blake clarified "Do you?"

"Nope. I think he was just messing around." Ruby answered honestly.

Weiss' face soured.

"Figures our headmaster would be a crazy weirdo." She said.

"I'm sure he has his reasons." Ren stated "He doesn't seem to be stupid or dumb enough to simply- Nora! That's too much syrup! Give the jug to me, right now!"

He turned to his partner, desperately trying to grab a large container of syrup from her hands before she put too much of it on her meal.

Yang returned and sat on her place between Ruby and Blake. She put a plate in front of her sister, whose eyes widened and a little bit of drool escaped from her mouth.

"Cookies…" The redhead muttered, before digging into the unhealthy meal.

"Ew." Weiss stated, turning her gaze away from the sight.

"Sorry, Blake, they were out of tuna." Yang apologized.

The brunette shrugged and was ready to tell her teammate it was no problem, but something else was put in front of her, a glass brimming to the top with milk.

"Kitties like that too, right?" The blonde asked, smiling widely.

"I don't even… Ah, whatever." Blake said, and drank a large quantity of the liquid in one go.

"See? You can't resist it. I should be your personal chef." Yang suggested proudly.

Blake rolled her eyes and turned to look at Weiss. The white-haired girl looked back and a smile appeared on her face.

"You have milk all around your mouth."

The heiress giggled and used a napkin to clean up her partner, who just accepted it, a little weirded out.

Yang leaned in to whisper at Ruby's ear.

"I said it first. Marriage will happen."

Ruby lifted her face up from her plate, revealing it to be covered in cookie crumbles and chocolate. Yang threw a napkin at her face.

"Clean yourself up!"

Ruby pouted, but did as her sister told her to.

-x-

A week later, the two teams met at the gates of the academy. It was finally school break, which would last for two whole weeks. The students were free to go wherever they wanted. It was a time welcomed by pretty much every one of them.

"Ren and I are going to have so much fun!" Nora exclaimed happily "We're going to visit some sort of jungle, and there's going to be lots of sloths, and tigers, and monkeys, and-"

"I think they understood you already, Nora." Ren said, smiling at his friend's giddiness "We're going already, guys. We don't wanna miss time. Have fun."

"Bye, friends!"

Ren took off walking, almost having to drag Nora along with him.

"Well, I'm visiting my family. That's going to be exciting." Jaune deadpanned.

"Oh. They didn't know you were applying to Beacon, right?" Ruby asked.

"Yup. I'll have to explain lots of stuff to my father, mother, uncle, my seven sisters, my grandmother, grandfather- Lots of people, basically." He finished lamely.

"I'm going home too." Pyrrha said simply "You live to the east, right, Jaune? My home is there too. Let's catch a train together."

"Sure. That will be cool… You and me… Alone… With no one else…"

The blonde stopped talking and simply shook his head before he embarrassed himself further. Pyrrha rolled her eyes and bid farewell to her friends before taking him away with her.

Weiss looked at the street in front of the school, specking every car carefully.

"I'm also going home, to Atlas. My ride will be here any minute." She said.

"Oooh. Fancy limousine?" Yang teased.

"It's not a… It's not very fancy." Weiss said embarrassedly, before changing the subject "Where are you and your sister going?"

"Home sweet home. We'll see our father, and I'll tell him about what a head-turner Ruby has become."

The leader's face reddened up, and she almost shrieked.

"Don't say that. I don't turn any heads!"

"Sure… I guess I just have illusions of boys looking at you when you're walking." The older sister teased.

"Th-That never happens!"

"Shh, sis. You need to accept your own nature."

Ruby reddened even more. She turned and walked away from the academy quickly. Yang laughed and followed her, waving goodbye to her teammates.

"I swear I've never seen sisters like that." Weiss commented.

"They sure are unique." Blake agreed, smiling.

"Agreed. But what about you?" The heiress asked.

Blake's smile dissolved immediately.

"I'm… I'm staying in Beacon." She answered.

Weiss's mouth formed a perfect 'O', making her look almost comical.

"That can't be! Surely you've got somewhere to go." She stated.

"I'm afraid not. I never had anything close to a home, especially after I left the White Fang. Also, no relatives that I know of." Blake said.

"That-That's not fair!" Weiss exclaimed.

Blake smiled, pleased that the heiress cared about her so much. The white-haired girl slumped her shoulders, all happiness of going home leaving her after learning about her partner's plans, or lack thereof.

The conversation was interrupted by a car honk and a man yelling very loudly.

"Miss Schnee! Over here!"

A man was waving at her beside a large, expensive car. Weiss waved back and started walking towards him, but stopped. She looked at Blake over shoulder. The faunus was staring at her own feet, with a solemn expression on her face.

"Hey."

Blake looked up.

"Yes?" She asked evenly.

"Come with me. No one will mind if I bring a friend along." Weiss offered.

"Weiss, I- I can't do that. Your family… It could end badly for both of us." Blake refused, shaking her head slowly.

The heiress walked back to her partner and stared at her fiercely.

"So what? Do you think I'd let my best friend spend two weeks alone in a deserted school?"

"But…"

Weiss rummaged through a bag she carried on her arm, bringing an object out of it. She set it on top of Blake's head and stepped back.

The hat was a little bit tight, but it looked good enough on the faunus. It was small, black with a white bottom.

"No one will find out unless we want them to." The heiress said.

"Weiss…" Blake started, but she stopped when she saw her partner's determined look "Okay. I'll go with you."

Weiss smiled and lead her friend to the car. The driver shot the strange girl a suspicious look, but a quick explanation by the heiress cleared everything up.

Blake sat back, feeling the soft material of the seat. There were glasses and drinks, and she was pretty sure there was a sunroof too. The locomotive was very luxurious, making her feel uneasy just by being in it.

"Blake?" Weiss called "It's fine. Nothing bad will happen. We'll have fun, I promise."

"I didn't realize fun was a concept familiar to Weiss Schnee." The faunus joked.

"What about nervousness and Blake Belladonna?"

The brunette smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad experience, after all.

-x-


	10. Family

Patch was an island located to the west of Vale. It was relatively secluded from the rest of the kingdom, so only a few people decided to live there. It was, however, home to the prestigious Signal Academy, regarded to be one of the best schools in the continent of Vytal.

Another reason for its low populace was, of course, the various grey forests scattered through it. They were inhabited by many fierce Grimm, and reports of accidents or deaths involving these beasts were frequent.

So, when someone immediately refused the opportunity to live in Patch, it was very understandable, and even commendable. That island was not suitable for human life, was the general consensus.

Unless you were a member of the Xiao Long family, of course.

"I'll race you there, sis!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping off the boat before it even touched ground.

"No fair! You got a head start!" Yang protested, following behind.

The two dropped on the beach and immediately started running. The redhead grinned and looked behind her, starting to move even faster.

"You're cheating! No using Semblances!" The blonde yelled again.

"Party pooper!" Ruby said, slowing down until she was running at normal speed "I bet you can't kill more Grimm than I on the way home!"

"Oh, you're so losing!"

The sisters made their way into one of the forests. Beowolves and Boarbatusks stuck their heads out of their resting places, only to be killed by Crescent Rose's blade and Ember Celica's strikes.

Finally the two arrived in a clearing. In the middle of it stood a single house made of wood, and they put on more speed to reach it.

"I got seventeen!" Yang yelled.

"Twenty five!" Ruby answered proudly.

"No way! You're lying!"

Ruby crashed through the front door, rolling on the ground messily. Yang followed closely and stumbled on her, falling on top of her. The two got up and started yelling at each other, the older sister complaining that she had killed more Grimm, while the redhead defended herself, claiming to be telling the truth.

A man was sitting on a chair, reading a newspaper while drinking coffee from a mug. He looked up casually, saw the two girls arguing, and returned to reading.

"There's _no way_ you killed more than me!" The blonde said "You were always in front of me, at top speed, so it's impossible you had the time to take out twenty five."

"My combat style revolves around speed! Why don't you admit you can't keep up with me?" Ruby asked vehemently.

"I told you, no Semblances!"

"I didn't use my Semblance! You just suck at running!"

The man looked up again, noticing that the two were ready to start actually fighting. He rolled his eyes and set his mug down.

"Hey, girls." He called.

Ruby and Yang stopped glaring at each other and stared at him. They blinked, their anger forgotten, and jumped to his side.

"Dad!" Ruby exclaimed, hugging his neck.

"I missed you so much!" Yang declared.

"I missed him more!"

"Hell no!"

Taiyang shook his daughters off of him and raised his arms between them.

"Now, girls, stop fighting. You're not little kids anymore." He said almost robotically. He had been a mediator to this kind of conflicts too many times in the last fifteen years "I'm sure you two did great at killing Grimm, and both of you missed me just as much as the other."

The girls looked at each other guiltily. Yang hugged Ruby and lifted her up in the air.

"Sorry for getting mad, sis." She apologized.

"It's okay… I'm sorry I lied…" Ruby gulped "I only killed twenty two."

"No hard feelings."

Yang patted her sister in the head. Taiyang shook his head, amused at the two teenagers' antics.

"It's nice to have you two back home, girls. I have to admit this place gets pretty lonely without you messing around all the time." He said.

"Aw, dad. I'm sorry." Ruby responded sheepishly.

"Don't say that, sweetheart. I'm happy as long as you are too." The father tranquilized the girl "Sit down, girls. I want to hear about Beacon and all the trouble you got in."

The girls sat at chair surrounding the table. Taiyang handed them two glasses of water, noticing how tired they were from running before getting to the house.

"What teams did you get put into?" He started.

"Oh, we are actually in the same team. And we're also partners." Yang said.

"That's nice. What about your teammates?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, they're the best ever!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly "Their names are Weiss and Blake. The first time I met Weiss, I almost broke her nose. She got pretty mad at me, but she forgot about it soon enough. She's pretty smart and she knows how to use Dust in combat."

"Is she a nice person?"

"Well… At first, we thought she was a bitch." Yang said honestly.

Ruby opened her mouth wide, ready to yell at her sister for talking so badly about their friend, but the blonde rolled her eyes and continued before she could say anything.

"But I think she was just hesitant to make friends with people. She's still kinda snobbish some times, but she's getting better." Yang finished.

"You make her sound much worse than she is." Ruby protested "She is heiress to the Schnee Company, so she didn't grow up the same as we. She's just not accustomed to treating people with care and love."

"Yeah, tell that to Blake." Yang responded, smiling wickedly.

Taiyang raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Oh, Blake is Weiss's partner. She's… Uh… She is like, super awesome!" Ruby explained "She's kinda reserved, but also very wise and caring."

"She's also a White Fang deserter. And she has cute cat ears." Yang added.

"Yang! You also made Blake sound worse than she is!" Ruby flailed her arms desperately to draw her father's attention "She's super nice! She was afraid of what people would think of her, you know, being a Faunus and all, and she ran away when we found out, but she's not a terrorist! She's very, very nice!"

Taiyang smiled, amused by the two girl's banter. He knew Yang had an unfortunate habit to say things in a very blunt way, while Ruby was more sensible when speaking.

"It sounds like a very interesting group. I hope one day I meet Weiss and Blake." He said "Wait… Does that mean your team name is RWBY?"

"Uh… Yeah." Ruby confirmed, rubbing her head in shame "It was not my idea."

"She doesn't gloat about it, dad, don't worry." Yang assured.

"Good. Did you make any other friends?" Taiyang asked curiously.

"Team JNPR. It's Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora." The blonde said "They're cool people. Jaune is kinda lame sometimes, but he's a good guy. Pyrrha is super talented, and I'm pretty sure she has a thing for Jaune. Ren mostly stays quiet. Nora is…"

"Nora is Nora." Ruby concluded.

Taiyang took a drink of coffee, taking the information in slowly.

He was glad his daughters had made so many friends. He knew Yang was pretty sociable, but Ruby wasn't so much. That was pretty much reason why the two were so attached to each other… Well, that, and other more complicated reasons.

"I'm happy for you two, girls." Taiyang declared, and then got up "But don't expect to just lie around here lazily. You'll have plenty of work to do in these two weeks."

Ruby and Yang got up, accepting their fate immediately. They hadn't expect to be completely free of chores, anyway.

"What about uncle Qrow?" Ruby questioned.

"Oh, he said he'll be visiting soon. In one week, at the least." Her father responded "Now, go get some wood to make a fire. It's gonna get pretty cold soon."

The sisters shrugged and got out of the house.

"First to gather fifteen logs wins!" Ruby exclaimed and bolted.

"Not fair!" Yang protested, following after the redhead in a hurry.

-x-

"We have arrived, Miss Schnee."

The driver opened the door, and Weiss stepped out, followed closely by Blake.

The Schnee mansion was located in Atlas, near the border with Vale. It was a place far away from any big cities, where the family could relax without being bothered by civilization. It had a wonderful garden in front of it, and the house itself was enormous. Blake had never seen something so big before.

"Nervous?" Weiss asked, beginning to walk "I know it's a big house and all, but you'll get used to it."

"Yeah, I didn't think it would be so gigantic." The faunus responded, frowning "But I'm more worried about who's inside, of course."

"Just stop it, Blake. As long as you keep that hat on, there's going to be no trouble." The heiress said with frustration.

The brunette poked the front of the hat and contorted her mouth.

"It looks nice, but my ears are kind of bothered by it." She whined meekly.

"Pff. You used to wear a bow all the time. A hat is much more comfortable." Weiss pointed out "Anyway, what do you think of the garden?" She asked, hoping to change the subject to something less serious.

The faunus looked at the bushes and flowers. She identified lilies, sunflowers, daisies, and many others she'd never seen before.

"It's very pretty." Blake admitted "Although I don't know a lot of them."

"I'll give you a full tour tomorrow. I'll show you belladonnas. They're nice." Weiss said.

"What about roses?" The brunette asked, smirking.

"They are annoying." The heiress responded, lifting her chin up.

They arrived at the porch of the mansion. Weiss looked back at Blake, noticing how she tried to hide her nervousness. Her family wouldn't notice it, but she could see it plain as day.

_Let's get this over it_.

She opened the door and stepped inside. Blake followed, sticking close to her friend. Her eyes darted around the huge saloon, trying to identify any threats instinctively.

She stopped when she heard loud footsteps nearing them. A man descended from one of the stairs. He was large, with white hair much life Weiss's, and wore a clean business suit and pants. He had a hard expression on his face, but when he set his eyes on Weiss, it softened and he opened a large smile.

"Weiss!" He said, getting near her with large steps, and hugged her tightly "My daughter… You didn't warn me you were coming home."

"I thought you knew it was school break." Weiss responded, hugging him back. Her voice was warm, but it seemed there was some other emotion she was holding back "I missed you."

"As I did you."

Wade Schnee stepped back and looked at his daughter, smiling proudly. She looked a little more grown up than when he last had seen her, and she carried herself differently. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but it was something about how she looked at him with her chin raised and a hand near her weapon.

The man turned his gaze away from his daughter, to the other girl in the room. He frowned, trying to remember if he knew her, but nothing came to his mind.

"Hello." The greeted "Do we know each other?"

"No, we don't." Blake answered hurriedly. She looked at Weiss, who raised an eyebrow slowly. The faunus looked down for a moment and composed herself before speaking again "My name is Blake Belladonna. I am a friend of Weiss's. It's nice to meet you, mister Schnee."

"I look forward to chatting with you, Miss Belladonna." He replied "Unfortunately, I have an important meeting tonight. I will join you two for dinner tomorrow."

"Really, father? Can't you afford to postpone this meeting?" Weiss asked.

"I'm sorry, Weiss, but it is very important. It involves not only the usual economic deals, but also the conflict with the beast-men." Walt answered.

He kissed his daughter in the forehead and nodded to Blake, then stepped out of the house.

The brunette's face contorted with anger for a few moments after that. Beast-men was a term coined long ago, when human and faunus relations used to be even worse. It had fallen out of practice, except for those really prejudiced against the faunus. There was no worse insult, and in her past she had killed people for using less offensive names.

"Sorry about that, Blake." Weiss said, noticing her partner's anger "He doesn't talk about faunus often, so maybe you won't need to put up with his attitude."

"It's okay. It's… it's just a stupid insult." Blake said, not wanting to spoil the vacation so soon "I'll just ignore whatever he says regarding the faunus."

"Good. But, Blake… I'll try to change his mind. It won't be easy, but I made a promise to you." The heiress said proudly "And a Schnee never breaks a promise."

The faunus smiled. Weiss returned the gesture and started walking up the stairs, her partner following right behind.

"Where are we going?" The brunette asked.

"We're going to see my sister." Weiss explained "She's probably studying right now."

"Doesn't she attend a school like Signal?" Blake questioned confusedly.

"No, and neither did I. Our father wanted us to be home schooled, so we could best serve the company." The heiress exclaimed "It was only after a lot of arguing that he agreed to let me go to Beacon."

Blake looked at her friend curiously.

"Wait, so he didn't want you to be a huntress?"

"No. And, well, maybe I still won't be one. I have a heritage to live up to, after all." The white-haired girl answered.

"That doesn't seem fair." Blake noted.

Weiss shrugged, clearly not wanting to talk about it. She stopped in front of a door and knocked.

"Yes?" A voice called from inside. Blake smirked. It sounded like a younger, less patient Weiss, and her tone suggested the same thing.

Weiss opened the door and stepped inside. The room was big, like the rest of the house, with a huge luxurious bed and windows that covered the majority of the wall to the outside.

There was a desk imbued into one of walls, covered in school books and notebooks. Sitting before it was a fifteen-year old girl with white hair, wearing a blue casual dress. She looked at her visitors and raised an eyebrow.

"Weiss. I didn't know you were coming home." She said in an emotionless tone.

"Yeah, dad didn't know either. I should have called home." Weiss answered, smiling "How are you doing, Winter?"

The younger girl looked at her sister oddly.

"I'm fine." She answered briefly "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Blake, Weiss's partner from Beacon." The brunette answered "It's nice to meet you, Winter."

"Yes. It's wonderful."

Winter turned back to her books and started to write without giving them another glance. Blake looked at Weiss, who simply shrugged and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Is she always like that?" The faunus wondered.

"No. Maybe she's just annoyed we interrupted her." Weiss answered "Anyway. Wanna see the rest of the house?"

"Judging by the size of it, it will take the rest of the day." Blake said, smirking "Sure. Give me a tour."

-x-

After Ruby and Yang finished gathering fuel for the fireplace and several other tasks, the family reunited for dinner. It was a humble meal, with no exotic ingredients, but it had to be very abundant, or else a certain redhead would have ate it all and left nothing for the rest.

After that, Yang excused herself and went to sleep, claiming to be exhausted. Ruby said she wasn't tired at all and decided to stay awake. She went to the living room, where they had lit the fireplace, and looked around.

_Where is it? I'm sure it's here somewhere…_

The young girl looked at a desk in the center of the room. There were number of pictures on top of it. There was one of a baby Ruby being carried around by Yang, as well as a more recent one, taken right before they left for Beacon.

There were some older ones, also. One of Taiyang alone, in his graduation day at Beacon, and one of him and Qrow, taken on the same day. There was one of Raven, Yang's mother, alone. She looked a lot like her daughter, except much older. She had a large smile on her face, and her eyes seemed to shine. Ruby always thought she was not posing for the photo, but for the one taking it. It was Taiyang, of course.

Ruby looked around some more. There were some other photos of herself and Yang, as well as some of Raven. The redhead pouted angrily, but then she found the one she was looking for.

Behind all the other pictures, there was an old one that seemed like it hadn't been taken care off too well. The wooden border was slightly wasted, and the photo itself was dirtied.

There were four people in the picture. To the far left stood Raven, winking playfully, one arm raised cheerfully and the other put around the person beside her. Taiyang held her hand tightly and smiled. He was not so much looking at the camera, but more at the blonde girl.

The next one was Qrow, with a cocky smirk. His brown hair was messy and his eyes half closed. He was pretending to look dangerous, but his effort was ruined by his obvious happiness. One hand was on his head, and another near his waist, where he his weapon was safely deposited.

The last one was Summer. She had red hair that extended a little bit past her shoulders and silver eyes that seemed to shine brightly. Her body was hidden partly by a red cloak, but what could be seen was the figure of a beautiful young woman. She was turned towards the others in the picture, and she looked at them with a warm smile on her face.

Ruby smiled faintly. There was no other photo of her mother in the house, but she had found great solace in this one. The way Summer stared at her friends and smiled told her daughter everything she needed to know about her.

"Ruby?" Taiyang called, sitting on a sofa near the fireplace "What are you looking at?" He questioned curiously.

"Just an old photo." She answered, beginning to put it back on the table.

"Which one?"

Ruby hesitated a little before giving the picture to her father. He looked at it and smiled faintly.

"This was taken on the day we became Hunters." He remembered "Team STRQ. Storm Qrow." He rolled his eyes "Your uncle really screwed up our squad title. He was always gloating about his name was so preeminent."

"Is that why you were worried about team RWBY?" The redhead asked.

"Yes. Fortunately, you did not follow in your uncle's mannerisms." Taiyang laughed "Qrow was very confident. He wasn't wrong to be so, of course. He was very skilled with his scythe, as you well know, and he had fame for conquering his opponents with style and willpower. I guess you inherited a little bit of that."

Ruby scratched her head sheepishly.

"But he was by no means an arrogant man. He was respectful of other people's capabilities. He just wasn't hesitant to call himself better than others unless they proved the contrary." Taiyang finished.

"What about Raven? How was she?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Oh, Raven was the star of our team. She was very charismatic, making friends with anyone all the time. But she never let go of those close to her. Raven would always make sure everyone she cared about was happy, and if they weren't… Well, she forced them to be." The father laughed.

"I guess Yang got that from her. But she doesn't sound as fierce as my sister. "

"Yeah… I'm sure she got it from me." Taiyang shook his head "I was a very forceful teenager, Ruby. I was the one to get angry at people who insulted the team, and I was very competitive. Qrow and I didn't get along too much at the beginning, but we turned out best friends." He chuckled "Raven was the one who stopped me from being too reckless. Of course, there were times were she joined me gladly, and I think she was even angrier than I was."

"So Yang is like your personalities added and multiplied?" Ruby asked.

Taiyang chuckled and nodded several times. He looked back at the picture, and then his face grew more somber. He put the object back at the table quietly.

Ruby looked at him, waiting to see if he would speak again. When he didn't, she asked in a quiet tone.

"What about my mother?"

Taiyang looked at the photo for a few seconds before turning his gaze to his daughter.

"Summer was…" He started, trying to find the right words "She was our leader. She was kind and understanding. She was the one who looked after us, even more than Raven did. Summer was not about herself, Ruby. She was about the people around her."

"What do you mean by that?" The redhead asked, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. Taiyang never spoke much about her mother.

"Well… Summer did not care about herself. She always put other people first, even in the simplest situations." The man smiled a little bit "I think sometimes she simply disappeared in the background, because she never pronounced herself too much. But to me, Raven and her brother Qrow… She was our heart."

Ruby looked down at her lap, pondering the information.

"Is that why you never mention her?" She asked hesitantly.

"I think so." Taiyang said quietly "Losing her was very painful. Two years before it happened, Raven had disappeared. We didn't know if she had died, but hope had begun to dwindle. Except for Summer." He paused "She had stopped for a brief time when she was pregnant of you. But, as soon as she knew you were well, she took off again to search for her friend."

He stopped talking for a half minute, simply looking at the picture with a dark expression.

"We found her lying in the snow a few months later. Grimm got to her. Maybe she was weak, or the beasts were simply too strong." Taiyang said "That ended it, Ruby. I had already lost Raven, and then Summer…"

The man got up and looked away from his daughter. After a few minutes, he shot her a quick look.

"Don't follow in your mother's footsteps, Ruby. You can be a decent person and live, or a wonderful one and die."

He left the room without another word.

Ruby stared at the picture. Her eyes watered up, but she held her tears.

_I _can _be a wonderful person. In the end, father, the people around us matter more. You got hurt… But I won't hurt anyone._

The redhead stood up and looked at her waist. Crescent Rose was there, ready for combat. She raised her hood to cover her head and walked to the front door of the house.

_I'll prove it to you._

She turned the knob and stepped outside, her red cloak flowing against the icy wind.

-x-

**Hello.**

** Some quick info: I'm using Raven Branwen as Yang's mother. I know it's not confirmed canon, but I prefer using a confirmed character than a made up one. Sorry if it bothers anyone ): Also, I believe in the show Summer actually died much later, like six years after Ruby was born? So she actually raised Yang and Ruby a little bit. Not the case here.**

** Thanks for the favorites, follows and reviews! I really appreciate them! I give each and every one of you my heart (figuratively)! 3**

**-Zeroan**


	11. Dinner with the devil

"And _that_ is the lake." Weiss pointed out "Winter used to call it the Forbidden Lake, because father never let us swim in it." She raised her chin proudly "Not that I ever wanted to."

Blake looked at the body of water with wonderment. After one day of exploring the mansion and another morning inspecting the gardens, she had thought nothing else would surprise her about the place. But the Schnees had an actual lake at the back of their house, and it was all natural, with clean, transparent water.

"And that is where the tour ends." The heiress said. She looked at the ground, thinking "At least I think so. I might have forgotten some other places…"

"Well, what I _have_ seen is enough." Blake reassured her friend, not wanting to go looking around the state again "I'm surprised, though. How come you have a lake at your house?"

"I guess they constructed the mansion so it would be near the lake. But this place has a lot of history, so I'm not absolutely sure about that." Weiss pondered.

"It's a pretty sight. But I think people are supposed to swim in it." The faunus commented "Why else would you construct a house near it?"

The heiress looked at the lake and inclined her head to the side.

"I remember I used to swim in it when I was _very_ young. With my mother." She said.

_I guess that's why Wade doesn't want his daughters swimming in it. Too many bad memories._ Blake thought. She looked to the side and found Weiss staring silently at the lake. It seemed like the white-haired girl had reached the same conclusion.

"Maybe we should go inside the house." The brunette suggested, wanting to lighten the mood between them "I want to take another look at that party room you showed me earlier."

Weiss looked at her friend and smiled. She knew Blake was not very fond of the house, so deducing her real intentions was easy.

"No way. We'll stay outside and enjoy the fresh air." The heiress refused "Let's go to the garden again. That's the place you actually enjoyed."

"Damn, I thought I was subtle." Blake joked.

"You are a closed book to everyone." Weiss reassured "But I've looked at some pages and memorized them well enough."

The faunus girl smirked.

"You'll have a tougher time when you arrive at the pages on another language."

"Need I remind you I am an excellent learner?" The heiress asked smugly.

"No… But you'll need a teacher." Blake answered "And I don't take students."

The brunette started walking towards the garden. Weiss crossed her arms and looked at her friend.

"A Schnee always gets what she wants."

-x-

"Good morning, Ruby!" Yang shouted.

She stopped in front of her sister's door, waiting anxiously for the sound of the redhead screaming angrily.

Yang was not a morning person, so it was a rare occurrence that she would wake up before Ruby. Every time it happened, she liked to wake up her sister. Ruby would always get annoyed, much to the blonde's amusement.

This time there was no answer. Yang frowned. Seven in the morning was way too early for even Ruby to be awake, considering they were on vacation.

The blonde opened the door and poked her head inside the room. She scanned the place and found no trace of her sister. The bed was neatly made, there were no clothes on the ground, and Crescent Rose was nowhere to be seen.

Yang closed the door and went to the kitchen, which also served as the house's entrance room. Taiyang was sitting on a chair, drinking from a mug and reading a newspaper, like he always did when he got up.

"Good morning, dad." Yang greeted "Where's Ruby?"

The father looked up curiously.

"Is she not sleeping in her room?"

"Nope. Her room is neat. Too neat." Yang pointed out.

Taiyang put down his mug and his newspaper. He frowned worryingly.

"Did she tell you she would go somewhere while you two were working yesterday?" He asked.

"No."

Yang looked at her father. He was deep in thought, and something in his expression worried her. Taiyang looked scared, which was a rare thing for the blonde to see.

She felt a void in her stomach.

_Ruby is in trouble. I have to find her._

Yang was about to slam the door and run outside to call for her sister, when her Scroll buzzed in her pants' pocket. She took it hurriedly and looked at screen.

_Hey, sis. I'm visiting some people in Signal, so don't worry about me. I just woke up early and decided to leave before you or dad got up. Sorry ): -Ruby_

Yang sighed in relief.

"She went to Signal to visit her friends." She said.

"Oh." Taiyang responded, surprised "I guess we overreacted, huh?"

"That's our job." Yang pointed out, smiling "I guess I'll visit some people too and-"

"No, you won't. You're sweeping the floor and dusting the furniture."

Yang crossed her arms.

"That's not fair!" She complained angrily "Why does Ruby get to have an actual vacation and I don't?"

"You're the older sister. Don't whine." Taiyang answered, smiling wickedly.

The blonde muttered curses under her breath and went to get the cleaning materials.

-x-

Weiss and Blake sat down on the dinner table. The brunette looked at the large quantities of forks and knifes, her eyes widening a bit.

_What the hell? Why does anyone need so much silverware to eat a simple meal?_

Weiss looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you need help?" She asked amusedly.

"No. I'll just… I'll use a fork and a knife." Blake answered.

"What else would you use?"

The faunus opened her mouth but found no appropriate answer. She closed it, feeling unusually dumb. Weiss giggled at her partner's confusion. Nobody actually used more than one type of silverware in her house, except when they had important visitors or hosted parties.

Winter arrived at the room and sat down. She shot a quick look to her sister and Blake, before crossing her arms and looking at the ceiling impatiently.

"So…" Weiss said "What are you studying, Winter?"

"Economy… So I can have a successful business." The younger girl answered pointedly "Why do you care?"

"I was just curious, really."

"Of course, you find economics very interesting. That's why you studied it for years and then decided to forget about it and become a brainless soldier." Winter said and looked at Blake "No offense, of course."

Blake raised an eyebrow and decided not to answer the girl. Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Well, sorry for offending you by asking about your life." She responded "And don't insult me or Blake because of my decisions."

"It was a stupid decision." Winter pointed out.

"At least I made one. I'm not being forced to do anything." Weiss muttered.

The younger sister's eyes flared with anger, but before she could say anything, Wade Schnee entered the room and sat beside her. He looked at his daughters with curiosity.

"Are you fighting again?" He asked.

"No." They both said.

Wade looked at Blake.

"Were they?"

"Yes." The faunus smirked "But nothing serious, of course. Just sisterly matters."

"I'm afraid they're highly susceptible to that behavior." The man commented, smiling "Do you have any siblings, Miss Belladonna?"

"Call me Blake." She said, while pondering how much to reveal about herself "I don't have any siblings. No family, actually. I lost my parents when I was very young."

Wade's face flashed with both admiration and sadness. Even Winter seemed a bit surprised at this stranger's words.

"I'm sorry to hear that." The Schnee president spoke "Losing family is a terrible thing, especially at a young age. But you are studying to become a Huntress… That is quite commendable for someone with such a past."

_You don't know the half of it_. Blake thought.

"I'm not special in any way." She said "Anyone can become who they want to be if they try hard enough."

"Indeed." Wade agreed, looking at his oldest daughter "Weiss wants to become a Huntress too, even though she never showed a liking for that profession before. I certainly didn't encourage it either."

"It was a surprise to everybody." Winter muttered.

Weiss sighed.

"I just wanted to do something else with my life. I don't want to just be president of the Schnee Company." She answered slowly "It's a very honorable position, of course, but…"

"It would be too easy for you to achieve it." Blake completed.

"Yes."

Weiss smiled, surprised at her partner's insight. She hadn't fully realized her motives yet, but hearing Blake say it made it true. No matter what she did, she would have a position in the Schnee Company, and that just wasn't enough for her.

"Well, that's wonderful." Winter said bitterly "I mean, who wants to acquire such an easy way of living, right? It's not like you have to study every day, be bombarded by the media whenever you do something, or give up your free time just to do your job."

Weiss's eyes fell to the table.

"I'm sorry, Winter. I didn't realize you would be affected by the decision I made." She spoke softly "You will have a much more important job than me. I don't want you to think I'm demeaning you…"

"Can you stop that?!" Winter exclaimed angrily.

"Stop what?" Weiss asked confusedly.

"You're not _you_. You should be angry at me! You should be calling me a brat and having a fit!" The younger sister answered "Instead, you're being… Nice. You're not even annoyed."

The following minutes were spent in a heavy silence. Wade looked at both of his daughters. He hadn't realized Winter held so much resentment, or that Weiss had changed so much in so little time. He felt strange, like something was wrong with his own family.

Surprisingly, Blake was the one to end the silence.

"I'm sure you have your reasons to be angry, Winter… And I know it's not my place to say it, but… Maybe you should just talk to your sister and try to understand her." She smiled "You remind me of Weiss when I first met her. She was very impatient and angry towards people, but she changed."

"Shut up." Winter glared at Blake "You're right. It's not your place to say anything regarding me or my family. You don't know anything about these matters, seeing as you're a worthless orphan."

Blake looked away. She knew it was better to just accept the younger girl's hatred, than just fueling it with more words. What she needed right now was to cool down.

Unfortunately, Weiss was not so understanding. She slammed her hand down on the table and narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"You got your wish. I _am_ angry now." She said "Do you want to be a whinny brat? Fine! Act like a little child, I don't care! But do _not_ insult my partner."

Winter got up from her chair and looked at her father.

"I'm not hungry. Have fun with Weiss and _Miss Belladonna_."

She made her way out of the room with heavy footsteps. Wade sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Schnee." Blake apologized "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No. You said nothing wrong. What happened was a result of Winter's immature behavior." He reassured the girl "I'll talk to her and make her apologize."

"Tell me when you finish doing that, and then I'll apologize to her too." Weiss said "I shouldn't have given in to anger."

Wade smiled.

"It's okay, dear. You only yelled to defend your friend." He answered "I can tell you two are quite close. Maybe you are the reason for Weiss' changes, Blake?"

Blake shook her head.

"No, of course not. She just-"

"That's true, father." Weiss said seriously "Blake is the best friend I have, and I owe her a lot for putting up with me."

The faunus was about to refute this claim, but a steely look from her friend stop her.

"I mean it." The heiress spoke, and then looked at her father "Never forget that, dad."

Wade looked at his daughter silently.

He had seen that face many times, that daring expression that she used to try to get her way when she knew he wouldn't accept her actions. But this time, it seemed even stronger, like she was challenging him to question her friendship with Blake.

"You look even fiercer than when you told me you wanted to apply for Beacon, and both of us remember how that went." He commented, smiling "You have my utmost respect, Blake Belladonna."

The brunette smiled. She was beginning to think Wade Schnee wasn't the horrible man she had assumed he was. He had lost his wife, and he hated the ones who caused her death, but still, he was like anyone else, easy to lose control to their emotions and do what they thought was right.

_Just like the White Fang. Just like… Adam._

She closed her eyes for a few moments. That last thought was wrong. Nobody could be as cruel as Adam Taurus, and his ways were not justifiable.

"Thank you, Mister Schnee. You too have my respect."

The man's smile widened.

"Call me Wade."

-x-

"Are you sure you don't need a ride, Miss?"

Ruby looked back and smiled at the driver. The man had been kind enough to take her to the edge of town after she crossed the water from Patch to Vale, and she had even gotten a little bit of sleep on the back of his car.

"I'm sure."

"Really? I'm going to the capital. It's really no bother." He assured kindly.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm not going to Vale. It's not somewhere you can drive to, actually." Ruby laughed nervously "Anyway, I have to go. Safe travels, mister!"

The driver's eyebrows rose when she sped away, leaving a trail of petals behind.

The redhead climbed up a hill and looked at the horizon. She saw the port city behind her, and even further was Patch Island. However, her destination was to the west, and she could barely see it in the distance. It would take a few days to arrive there, and it could be dangerous.

She took her Scroll from her cloak's pocket and looked at its screen, checking the time. However, she found herself sweeping her fingers until she was ready to call her uncle Qrow.

_Maybe I should meet him. He wouldn't mind taking me there, right? And I could get lost…_

She shook her head and pocketed the Scroll. Qrow would probably tell her father about where she was going, and he would chase after her. She didn't want that.

Ruby did feel bad about misleading her family. She knew Yang and her father only wanted the best for her, but she needed to do this, even if they had to almost die from worrying about her well-being.

The redhead sighed and started to walk towards her destination.

-x-

Even after the fight with Winter, the dinner was actually quite good. The food was excellent, for it had been made by the Schnee's personal chef, and the conversation was interesting.

Weiss told her father about Beacon, and he was pleased to hear she was one of the top students of her class. Blake rolled her eyes when her friend described Ruby, Yang and JNPR, though she noticed she had not been as harsh as she could have been.

Wade made a few questions regarding Blake, and she had answered about as much as she could have safely done. Weiss had taken notice of the danger in time and averted the conversation from its path, much to Blake's relief.

After they had finished eating, Wade smiled at the two.

"That was a very nice dinner, girls. Maybe we can do that again this week, and we'll have Winter with us." He suggested.

"Maybe she'll actually be pleasant once she calms down." Weiss said, smiling hopefully.

"I'll make sure she is." The father assured "Now, after that meeting and this dinner I'm afraid I'm quite tired. There was so much to talk about concerning the beast-men, and frankly, I think conversing about them is actually more difficult than getting rid of them."

He laughed good-naturedly. Blake flinched and looked away, while Weiss's smile disappeared. Wade raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?" He asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, dad. We're just tired too." Weiss lied, smiling faintly.

Blake looked at Wade and tried to force a smile, but failed to do so. He looked at her calmly and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Blake. I should know not to mention these matters so lightly." The Schnee president apologized "You must have suffered at their hands, too. The faunus have hurt a lot of humans, after all."

"Yes. And the contrary is also true." Blake answered, and then winced, immediately regretting her words.

Weiss's eyes widened, but she looked away quickly, hoping her father wouldn't take much from her friend's talking. However, it seemed that Wade had understood Blake very clearly, for he had narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak.

"Do you know what happened to my wife, Miss Belladonna?" He asked. His warm demeanor from before was gone. He was now speaking like a businessman, not a father.

"Yes. I'm sorry if I offended you." Blake answered hurriedly.

"It's understandable." He offered neutrally "But don't show sympathy for them again. They don't deserve it, especially from someone like you."

The brunette's head raced as she realized what had happened.

_He respects me, and expects that I will hate the faunus too. This will make everything worse if he finds out my identity._

"Do you understand me, Miss Belladonna?" Wade asked.

Blake looked at him and was about to speak, when a siren started echoing through the house. The three jumped up from their seats.

"What does that mean?" Blake asked urgently.

"It means something awful is happening." Wade answered "Do you have your weapons?"

"No. I left them at my room." Weiss said.

"Go get them, and make sure Winter is okay. I'll try to find out what the problem is." The president ordered before leaving in a hurry.

"Follow me, Blake!" Weiss called.

The two ran through the house's many rooms before arriving at the stairs. They ran up until they arrived at a hallway and stopped in front of a door. Weiss kicked it open and rushed inside, and then came out carrying Myrtenaster. She threw Gambol Shroud to her partner.

"Let's find Winter." The heiress said.

They heard the sound of glass breaking and a shriek coming from one of the nearby rooms.

"They found her first." Blake muttered.

The pair rushed to the room and hurried inside. They were surprised by a dozen of White Fang soldiers who wielded rifles and batons. The windows were broken, and from the way the room was messed up, they could tell a fight had taken place there.

"Where did you take her?" Weiss exclaimed "Tell me, and you won't get hurt!"

She was answered with a string of bullets which she promptly dodged. Blake took advantage of the grunts' attention on her partner and got behind them, taking them out with simple, quick slashes with her weapon.

After they had all fallen, the two girls looked through the window and saw a group of soldiers running away. Blake narrowed her eyes, using her enhanced senses to examine the scene.

"They have Winter. We have to jump." She said.

Weiss had done so even before her partner had finished speaking. She landed on the ground, using her aura to soften the fall, and raced towards the grunts. They turned and started firing at her.

The heiress extended her weapon, forming a glyph that blocked the bullets, while still running. She then spun in a circle, releasing a beam of blue light from Myrtenaster, knocking down some of her enemies.

The rest formed a barrier between her and Winter, who was still being carried away by a couple of terrorists.

"Get out of the way!" Weiss demanded "I swear, if you hurt my sister, you _will_ pay!"

She turned her weapon's dial to red and swung the blade in front of herself. A barrage of fire emerged from the ground and raced towards the grunts. Some of them were caught in the attack and fell to the ground in pain, while some managed to protect themselves and start firing at her again.

Blake ran through the middle of the soldiers, appearing to be only a shadow. She made herself known when she got near Winter. Taking care to not hurt the girl, she struck against the soldiers who held her, felling them skillfully.

"Winter! Stay with me!" She ordered.

"O-okay." Winter answered meekly, getting behind the brunette "What are you going to do?"

"We have to fend them off before doing anything. I can't leave you alone, though, so Weiss will have to take care of the soldiers." Blake explained.

"Can she do it alone?" The younger girl questioned.

Blake smiled.

"Can she?"

A flash of red and blue answered the question, as a barrage of ice and fire took down the remainder of the grunts. Weiss raced towards her sister and hugged her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Uh, sure." Winter answered, making sure not to return the gesture "Are we safe?"

"You aren't."

A new voice reached them. Blake felt a shiver run down her spine, and she looked behind her, hoping that it wasn't who she thought.

A redhead man stood a few meters away from the three girls. He wore an animal half-mask, and a long, black outfit. He had a red katana in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Nice to see you again, Blake." He said "I must admit I didn't expect to meet you here, though."

"Who is this?" Weiss asked.

"Adam Taurus. My ex-partner." Blake answered curtly.

"What?!" Winter exclaimed confusedly.

Blake stepped closer to the new arrival and pointed her weapon's blade at him.

"Stay away." She ordered, restraining her anger.

"Why would I do that?" Adam asked "I expected a warmer greeting, Blake. Can't you just forget the bad stuff in our past and move on?"

"I will never forget." The faunus girl muttered, and then looked him in the eye, her face contorted with hatred "Fuck you!"

She jumped forward and tried to slash at him, but he sidestepped the attack easily and used the hilt of his weapon to strike her back. She screamed in pain. He had hit her in a very precise position, draining her aura and causing her real hurt.

"Blake?" Weiss called.

"She's gonna be okay, princess." Adam assured "Now, which one of you two wants to come with me?"

"What do you mean?" The older sister asked.

"Well, your dear father was in a meeting yesterday where they discussed what to do regarding my kind." The redhead explained, spacing his words slowly, while stepping closer to his prey "They didn't reach a conclusion, but Mister Schnee made his opinion very clear…"

He swung his katana in front of himself threateningly.

"To kill us, or let us kill you." He finished "Now, I will kill one of you, and the other one I will take away. Don't blame me, blame your father. At least I'm being considerate enough to let you choose your destiny."

"You are nothing but empty threats." Weiss said "You can't defeat me."

"Take a look at Blake and repeat that phrase." Adam suggested.

Weiss looked at her partner, who was only now rising again. She seemed like she was about to fall on the ground again. The heiress closed her eyes and got in front of her sister.

"Okay." She said "Kill me."

"No!" Winter protested "He's not going to kill anyone!"

"Please, Winter." Adam intervened "Don't question your sister's nobility."

Weiss pushed Winter to the ground and walked until she was face to face with the terrorist. Adam smiled and pointed his katana at her stomach.

"Don't worry. I will make sure they remember your sacrifice." He whispered "You understand, right? I don't have any choice. Killing needs to happen. Your father is right."

Weiss closed her eyes again.

"My father is wrong about many things." She refuted "But you… You are just a monster using his mistaken opinion to get what you want."

Adam's smile widened.

"Truer words have never been spoken."

He was about to thrust his sword into her, but suddenly he felt a searing pain in his shoulder. Adam fell down, Blake on top of him with her blade on his body.

"Weiss, run! Take Winter and bring reinforcements!" She urged.

Weiss gulped and started to run away, taking Winter's hand and dragging her along.

"Wait!" The younger girl exclaimed "She can't face him alone!"

"She can." Weiss muttered "She must."

-x-


	12. Descend upon the world

Taiyang sat on quietly in the kitchen corner, a cup of water beside him as he watched the front door carefully.

Yang had gone to sleep a long time ago. Ruby's absence resulted in her doing double the usual work, so the blonde had been happy to fall into bed and pass out. The man was glad that had happened: he knew she would have stayed by his side if she wasn't so tired.

Taiyang sighed. This all was his fault. He knew talking about Summer was a difficult task, but his daughter hadn't asked him much. His final comment when they conversed had been the sticking point.

_You can be a decent person and live, or a wonderful person and die_.

In the name of all of Remnant, what had he been thinking? Who said something like that to a young girl who just wanted to hear how her mother was like? His pain was no excuse for doing something like that. He had lived with it for a decade; surely he could have contained it at that moment.

He checked his Scroll. It was midnight. Taiyang sighed and made a phone call. After a considerable amount of time, he was answered by a very annoyed person.

"What the hell, Taiyang? It's the middle of the fucking night."

"Nice to hear your voice, Qrow." The father responded, his voice weary, but amused.

"I can't say the same. What is this all about? Lost your teddy bear and can't sleep?"

"No. I lost my youngest daughter and can't sleep."

Taiyang waited a few moments, noticing the silence in the other end of the call.

"What do you mean? Is Ruby okay?" Qrow asked. He sounded extremely serious now, all frustration at being awaken gone.

"She left this morning, or last night. She hasn't come back."

"Any idea why?"

"I… I talked to her about Summer, and I may have said some regrettable things. I think she's angry with me." Taiyang admitted.

"Ruby doesn't get angry at adults." Qrow pointed out.

"I know. That's why I think she actually is angry. The only way she knew how to show her rage was to run away."

"Thank Dust you're a professor, not a psychologist." Ruby's uncle said "She's not angry."

Taiyang grunted annoyed.

"Well, what is wrong with her, then?" He asked.

"Look, I have a pretty good idea where she might be going. Meet me at the Vale-side port in the morning, okay?"

"All right."

"And go to sleep. Goodbye."

Qrow hung up immediately. Taiyang crossed his arms, frustrated. His friend had done nothing to alleviate his worries, but at least now he could think of how furious he was at him and not about Ruby.

-x-

"Father!"

Weiss crashed through the front door, Winter following close behind. Wade was standing in the entry room, talking with a bunch of his servants, but he dismissed them and ran to his daughters as soon as he saw them, enveloping them in a strong hug.

"I'm so glad you two are okay." The president said, and stepped back. A frown appeared on his face "Where's Blake?"

"She's fighting against the White Fang!" Weiss explained hurriedly "Winter, stay here where it's safe! I have to help her!"

Weiss ran off. Wade looked at his younger daughter.

"What is going on?" He asked.

"The White Fang got me, but Weiss and Blake rescued me." Winter started "But then this other guy appeared and took Blake down in a single attack, and he said he was going to kill one of us and take the other."

"This is absurd! In _my_ own state!" Wade exclaimed angrily "I am facing that man myself!"

He stepped out of the house, cracking the bones of his hands.

"You don't have your weapon, father!" Winter warned.

"I have my fists."

-x-

Blake rolled to the side and jumped to her feet. She put distance between herself and Adam as he got up slowly. He was clutching his shoulder, but there seemed to be no bleeding happening.

"You know, that was a good ruse." He admitted "I thought you were down for good. But Aura is a formidable thing. Of course, you already know that. I taught you, after all."

"Shut up!" Blake shouted.

She lunged forward and tried to strike at him, but he sidestepped and punched her in the stomach. The girl stumbled back, out of breath.

"That's funny. When you left, you said you were disgusted at our hatred." Adam said "Now, look at you. Losing all your discipline just because of a few taunts."

"I-I hate you." Blake muttered "You ruined my life."

"Nothing could be farther from the truth. I gave you a life." The murderer refuted "You were nothing before you met me. Holding on to a weakling family, hoping to survive the next week with your grumbles of bread and tainted water."

He stepped close and slapped her, making her fall to the ground.

"I made you strong. I made you smart. I made you, _you_." He said, stepping on her legs "You could have been greater than even me, Blake. But instead you decided to lie to yourself and believe in a fair world."

"I don't lie to myself."

Blake swung her weapon at his legs, making him retreat. She jumped back to her feet and pointed her blade at him.

"I don't believe the world is fair." The brunette stated "It's cruel, harsh, unforgiving. But the thing is… It's that way because we make it so. We are all of that, and we never try to change."

"Oh, for crying out loud." Adam muttered.

"Shut! Up! You wanna change the world?!" Blake questioned "You can't change it to what it already is! But I can change it for the better!"

Adam sliced with his sword, and Blake moved her own to block the attack. They clashed their blades repeatedly, trying to overcome their defenses. It was almost hypnotic to who watched: their styles were so similar, it was like they were performing a carefully orchestrated choreography.

However, Blake was clearly more tired than he was, and she her usual battle focus had been substituted by rage. Soon, Adam's strength and skill overcame hers, and her weapon fell to the ground. The faunus girl stood still, panting, looking at her opponent powerlessly.

"So… What are you waiting for?" She asked "Don't you wanna kill me?"

"Yes, I do. But there are other, more interesting options." He smirked "Do you hear them arriving?"

Blake listened closely, and identified the sound of boots hitting the grass.

Suddenly, a beam of light struck against Adam. However, he was prepared for it and raised his blade to block the energy, absorbing it into himself.

"Thank you, princess." He said "I can absorb energy using my Semblance. You just gave me a refill."

Weiss arrived at the scene, wielding Myrtenaster threateningly.

"Step away from her." She ordered.

"That's not happening." He said.

The heiress grunted and started to run towards him. However, Adam swiped his weapon at her, and a ray of red light hit her, knocking her to the ground.

"Actually, I lied. I didn't get a refill." He admitted "I stored the energy to use against you."

Weiss moaned painfully. Her head had been hit, and she was not sure she could get up again.

"I think our last arrival is here." Adam announced.

"Get out of here, filth."

Wade Schnee walked until he was beside his daughter. He looked Adam straight in his eyes. The redhead laughed quietly.

"You don't have your weapon, Mister Schnee. I could kill you right now." He said.

"Come and take a try, you bastard." The president suggested, clenching his fists.

"Sorry, as tempting as that sounds, I refuse. Maybe in the future I will take you up on that offer." The redhead smirked "I will settle for breaking your heart."

Adam looked at Blake and raised his blade slowly, never averting his gaze from her.

"No!" Weiss screamed "Don't do it! I swear I'll kill you!"

Adam chuckled.

"That's an overreaction." He said "I just think she looks way better without this horrendous hat."

He swiped his blade, cutting just above Blake's head. She blinked, confused at his actions.

Adam smiled and turned his back to them, starting to walk away without another word.

"What the hell…" Blake said, looking at him "Come back!"

She took a step forward and stumbled. Her hat fell to the ground, sliced across in the middle. The brunette looked at it silently, realization slowly kicking in.

"Oh, no." She heard Weiss mutter.

Blake looked back. Wade was staring at her head, spotting the cat ears immediately, and she noticed his eyes seemed to burn with hatred.

"Mister Schnee… I'm sorry, I can explain-"

She was interrupted by a punch in the mouth. The faunus fell on her back, her vision blurry.

"How _dare _you stay under my own roof?! You _lied_ to me! What were you planning?! Who were you going to kill?!" Wade shouted hoarsely.

"I wasn't planning anything… I never meant for anything bad to happen." Blake whispered.

Wade kicked her, anger boiling in his veins.

"I should kill you right now." He muttered "You wouldn't think twice if our positions were reversed."

He raised his fist, ready to strike her down, but was suddenly pushed from the side. He looked at his assailant, shocked to see Weiss staring at him coldly.

"What is the meaning of this, Weiss?" The president asked, barely containing his rage.

"You are not killing Blake." She said defiantly "She had nothing to do with this. She stayed in our house at my wishes, because she had nowhere else to go and she is my _friend_. Do you understand?"

"You knew she was a beast-woman, and you let her stay anyway." Wade stated "You are associating with your mother's killers, Weiss." His stare darkened "I see now how right I was to say this girl changed you. You have become a monster too."

Weiss shook her head slowly. She could feel tears coming to her eyes, threatening to burst at any second.

"Blake is not a killer. She changed." The heiress pleaded "We can change everything, father. You just need to forgive. I beg you."

Wade closed his eyes and started to walk away.

"You are not my daughter." He said "I never want to see you again."

Weiss stood still, watching her father leave her behind. She extended a hand, but felt no strength to pursue him. Tears started to stream down her face.

"Weiss…" Blake muttered, looking at her from the ground.

The white-haired girl fell down beside her friend and cried loudly. The faunus enveloped her in her arms and cried too, tormented by both of their sorrows.

-x-

Yang looked around the street impatiently. She had been standing there for five minutes, waiting for Qrow to arrive. Her father had gone inside a shop to buy a bottle of water for the both of them.

The blonde sighed. This was definitely not how she was planning to spend her vacation. She had envisioned it as the perfect family reunion, just her, Ruby, their father and Qrow. Of course, in the third day trouble was already present.

Most of her frustration, however, did not come from her ruined vacation or Qrow's lateness. Instead, she was worried about Ruby. She supposed any other girl would just have been angry at their sister for running away like that, but Yang was fated to worry. It was just her nature to be like that.

Her father theorized that this characteristic came from her strength. She had so much power, but really, nowhere to put it to use. So it was natural that she used it to protect her sister.

Taiyang was not a psychologist, so she thought that theory was crap.

The truth was Yang just loved Ruby too much. She remembered that, since they were young, they were inseparable. Growing up, they would go everywhere together, share their toys, and play with the same people… It was cute, to say the least.

Of course, as they reached a certain age, that became too much even for them. Yang turned out way more sociable and confident, while Ruby was more reserved. But still, there was that unbreakable bond between them, forged by hurt and comfort.

The blonde had one memory she remembered more clearly than all others. She was seven years old, and Ruby was turning five. Their father had sat them down in the sofa of the living room and told them about their mothers. He had been very kind, of course, simply stating that they had left long ago and couldn't come back. It was better than letting them wonder without any clues at all.

Yang had been sad, but not that much. She didn't really remember her mother. But Ruby had broken down crying immediately. Taiyang had comforted her, but he too was hurt, so there was only so much he could do before having to leave them.

Yang had hugged Ruby and just repeated to her.

_I won't leave you. I promise._

At some point, the redhead fell asleep in her arms, and Yang followed soon. Taiyang found them like that, and from that day forward they had never really been apart.

The blonde sighed and rubbed her eyes.

_Great. Get all emotional. That's what dad needs right now, a crybaby while he looks for his lost daughter_.

She blinked and took a deep breath. She would not cry today.

"Great self-control."

Yang looked to her side and found Qrow smiling widely. She frowned and punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey! How much time were you standing there for?!" She questioned angrily.

"A few minutes." He admitted "Where's your father?"

"Buying stuff."

"I would ask where your sister is, but I already know." Qrow said smugly.

Yang narrowed her eyes at him.

"Care to share?"

"Nope. I am going to wait for the big reveal." He refused.

"You are infuriating." She said.

"That's why you all love me."

The blonde crossed her arms frustratingly. Before they could continue the conversation, however, Taiyang came back carrying a bottle of water and a newspaper.

"Hello, Tai'." Qrow greeted "What a fine morning this is, right?"

"Where's my daughter?"

"I see eagerness runs in the family." The scythe-wielder commented "She's going west, of course."

"Why would she go west?" Yang frowned.

"For the love of Remnant… She's going to visit her mother's grave. Why else would she leave in the middle of the night after that talk you had?" Qrow revealed, rolling his eyes.

Father and daughter looked at each other. The answer seemed pretty obvious now that they thought about it.

"Well, how long will it take for us to catch up to her?" Yang questioned.

"We won't. We'll only cross paths after she visits the grave." Qrow said "She's too fast and determined. Also, she's alone, meaning she'll attract less Grimm."

"Damnit, Ruby…" Taiyang muttered "That place is extremely dangerous. Summer died there!"

"No need to remind us of that."

The father looked at his friend and regretted his outburst. His brazen attitude made it easy to forget Qrow too felt sadness and worry.

"But _that_ happened fifteen years ago." The uncle reminded "It might have been just a temporary rise in Grimm activity in that region. Also, I taught Ruby myself. She won't fail."

Yang smiled. Hearing that assurance was very comforting, especially coming from Qrow. However, something else caught her eye.

"Dad, what's that on the front page?" She asked.

"Uh…" Taiyang looked at the newspaper and read it to her "Schnee private state attacked last night. No severe injuries reported." He frowned "Your teammate is Weiss Schnee, right?"

As she was about to answer, Yang's scroll rang. She looked at it and saw Blake's photo. The blonde sighed.

"This can't be good."

-x-

**Greetings.**

** Kathi, I'm so sorry for ruining that Blake-Mr. Schnee fantasy ): (there's always the future, though, HINT HINT, wait no, actually I have no plans about that so just ignore this) Also, your prediction for the battle was right, but wrong. Adam is driven by hatred, yes, but he doesn't lose control of himself because of that. Blake has been trying very hard to stay away from her past, but seeing Adam really got to her. More will be said about that in the next chapters. Thank you for the review!**

** Lojzek91, thank you very much for the review! I really appreciate it. I agree that my pacing can be quite slow sometimes. I think the beginning chapters were a prime example, mostly because they mirrored the show. But now that the story is deviating from the show, I think the pacing might get a bit quicker. Again, thank you for the review!**

** A huge thank you to everyone else who favorited and followed Children of Summer! Brace yourselves for the next chapter (Winter is not coming, though.).**

** -Zeroan**


	13. The place you should have rested

Ruby walked through the forest. The snow fell around her, and the trees looked pale. It all reminded her of her past nightmares, but it didn't really scare her. She now knew the white figure couldn't kill her.

It had been seven days since school break had begun. She had spent the last six traveling by foot, alone. There was a calming effect to that which she had never felt before in her life, and she enjoyed it a lot. It was like she was the only human left in the world, and nothing could bother her.

Of course, Grimm had attacked her many times, especially in the first few days, when her emotions were a little bit wild. As she became more focused, however, they became less frequent, and right now almost a day had passed without any violence.

She wondered how her friends were doing. Yang and her father certainly were freaking out, looking for her everywhere. Uncle Qrow had probably joined them, and she could imagine his amusement at their panic. Maybe Weiss and Blake had been contacted, but she hoped that was not the case. Ruby didn't want to ruin their vacation.

Oh, no. What if JNPR had been contacted? What if Jaune's seven sisters were searching for her? What if one was eaten by a beowolf? She had begun to regret her decision.

In response to those emotions came a score of howls from far away. Ruby steeled her expression and tried to contain her panicked thoughts…

What if Goodwitch was looking for her, ready to put her in eternal detention?

A beowolf jumped at her, but the redhead spun around and sliced it in half. She stepped back, noticing she was surrounded. Any other girl would have given up right then and there, but she was Ruby Rose, self-entitled kicker of Grimm butt.

She shot at a dozen of them before they got too close, and then dived to the right, slashing through those in her path. The young girl spun again, catching more Beowolves in the vicinity, and then jumped back, slashing at the monsters to the left.

The redhead smirked and shot the remaining ones. She sighed contently before beginning to walk again. However, her instincts flared again, and she looked back. There were even more Beowolves coming at her.

"What the hell!" She shouted, surprised at their number.

She jumped away from them, mowing down their quantity with bullets. However, she decided she needed to conserve her ammunition and got close to them, slashing all around skillfully, until none were left.

The girl looked around, and again, there were more Grimm. Her eyes widened, now truly afraid. This was not normal at all.

_We found her lying in the snow. Grimm got to her._

Her father's words echoed in her mind. She shook her head.

This would not be her end.

-x-

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. I'm pretty certain of it." Blake responded.

"How do you know? It's all snow and trees all around." The white-haired girl protested.

The faunus shrugged.

"I just have a feeling." She said.

"What- that's ridiculous! You don't have feelings!" Weiss exclaimed.

Blake raised an eyebrow questioningly. The dust user frowned, taking notice of her own words.

"I mean…" She said slowly "You have emotions, but you don't have feelings about what is right. Understood?"

"Sure." The brunette answered.

"Sorry. I'm just annoyed that of all places, Ruby would choose this one to run to." Weiss explained "Couldn't they make a grave on Patch?"

"I guess they wanted to respect her death. It's an old Hunter custom to put the grave of the one who fell in combat on the place he or she died." Blake spoke "Also, we can't really fault Ruby for doing what she is doing. She just wants to visit her mother."

"I understand. I just wish we could enjoy our vacation."

The two looked at each other, remembering how fast that plan had been destroyed. Maybe Ruby's endeavor was a hidden blessing, because they hadn't been able to wallow in their misery while looking for their friend.

They hadn't really talked about what had happened. Blake had been pretty shaken up by Adam's appearance and her defeat to him. And Weiss' being disowned… Well, she had shed about all her tears in that one night, but hadn't spoken about it after that.

Blake was tempted to touch on that subject, knowing that bottling up those feelings was bound to do no good, especially when exploring a forest full of Grimm. However, the faunus girl too was hesitant to talk about that night. She felt shame at her failure, and Adam was something she had hoped she wouldn't have to explain to anyone.

The brunette decided that if Weiss wanted to discuss those matters, she would comply. But until that happened, she would keep quiet.

The two stopped walking when they heard distant howls.

"Beowolves." Weiss stated "Are they coming for us?"

"I don't think so." Blake answered, listening carefully "They're going after someone else."

"Ruby?" The once-heiress asked hopefully.

"Let's find out."

The pair took off running, Blake leading the way because of her better senses. They came across a bunch of the monsters, easily dispatching them, but the vast majority of them were ignoring the two and continuing running.

They arrived on a clearing, and found the center of the Grimm activity. They were rushing in towards the same place, but a lot of smoke from disposed bodies was emerging from it in quick succession.

"Leave me alone, you meanies!"

"It's Ruby." Weiss stated, smiling faintly.

She turned Myrtenaster's dial to red and swung it in a circle in front of her, letting out a barrage of fire that destroyed a large quantity of Grimm. Blake rushed in toward another section of the monsters and started to dispose of them neatly, avoid their claws and using her Semblance when needed.

In few minutes, the creatures finally seemed to stop appearing. After the last one was vanquished, Weiss and Blake fell on the ground. However, their rest would not be long.

"No! I ruined your vacation!" Ruby exclaimed, falling between the two.

"Don't worry. We ruined that vacation ourselves." Weiss assured "Still, you are a dolt."

"Aw, I like you too, Weiss."

Ruby hugged the dust user, who awkwardly patted her head, before moving on to embrace Blake.

"Blake! I'm so happy to see you!"

"And I'm happy we found you intact." The faunus responded kindly "Really, how did you attract so many Grimm?"

"I don't know." Ruby answered while getting up "I got a little panicked, but they kept coming even after I calmed down."

"I guess it's just the area." Weiss suggested "This place is dangerous, after all."

The monochrome pair faced the redhead and crossed their arms, looking at her with disappointment. They had planned this course of action days ago, so Ruby would understand the gravity of the situation she had caused. However, they hadn't taken their friend's sad pouting face into account.

Blake smirked and hugged her friend.

"It's okay. You're going to be alright now." She said "Yang and your father have been worried sick about you. They're probably a day behind you right now."

"I'm sorry about that, but there's a reason why I didn't tell them where I was going." Ruby said with determination "I am not going back until I visit my mother's grave."

"Come on, Ruby. They're worried about you." Blake argued, even though she understood her friend's reasoning "I know you want to do this, but it's not safe without a group of people."

"I don't want a group of people there!" The redhead complained.

Weiss looked between her partner and her leader before making a decision.

"Here's a suggestion." She started "I'll go with Ruby for the rest of the journey. It should be about a day long, so it's not a great risk. Blake will go back and tell them about your stubborn behavior."

"Well… That's okay." Ruby said, narrowing her eyes at her friend "As long as you don't eavesdrop."

"I promise not to do that." Weiss sighed.

Blake smiled and turned back.

"Okay, then. I'll go tell Yang about this plan." She said.

"Be careful!" The white-haired girl reminded.

The faunus rolled her eyes as she walked away. Ruby giggled silently.

"Marriage." She whispered.

"What did you say?" Weiss asked confusedly.

"Nothing."

The redhead started walking. The dust user glared at her leader's back, clearly not believing her.

-x-

"I can do it! I swear!"

Ruby tried desperately to light a campfire, using only a stick and a stone. Weiss had noticed early on in the process that her leader didn't really understand the whole concept of lighting a flame. She sighed and pointed Myrtenaster at the lumber, setting it on fire using Dust.

"That's not fair." The redhead pouted.

"Freezing is not fair." Weiss retorted, sitting back against a tree.

"I guess that makes sense…" Ruby muttered.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the fire's warmth. Weiss stared at the night sky above, filled with hundreds of glowing stars. She used to stare at them when she was younger, before her mother died. She thought now was a good time to start looking again.

"Why do you want to visit your mother's grave, Ruby?" The dust user asked suddenly. She didn't know why she made that question, and wasn't sure if she should have done so.

"I don't know." Ruby admitted "I only saw it once before, when I was maybe ten years old. I want to see it again."

"You're a bad liar. If that was your reasoning, you wouldn't have ran away to do this."

The redhead pondered the question for a few minutes.

"My father told me about my mother a few days ago. He told me she was a wonderful person." She turned her gaze to her lap "And then he said she died because of that, so I shouldn't be like her."

"That sounds harsh." Weiss noted.

"Don't judge him. He lost my mother not long after losing Yang's. It's painful to think about them." The younger girl argued.

"But still, you want to challenge him?"

Ruby nodded.

"I understand that." Weiss said "I applied to Beacon because I didn't want to have a job given to me because of my family. I want to be a Huntress, even though it might be a worse job than president of the Schnee Company."

"That sounds cool. Like, choosing your own path despite your heritage."

"My father didn't think so. He was very controlling, especially after my mother died. He wanted me to be the perfect heiress, a worthy daughter to run his business." The white-haired girl smiled faintly "Six days ago, he disowned me because my best friend is a faunus."

Ruby's jaw dropped at that last phrase. She rushed to her friend's side and looked at her worryingly.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Of course, there was the whole White Fang invasion, but that's beside the point. Ask Blake if you want to know more." Weiss said "It's just so… So stupid! Why do people feel the need to control what others are or do?"

Weiss felt tears come to her eyes, but she held them back. However, she gave up when Ruby hugged her tightly.

"I don't know why people are like that, Weiss." Ruby said "But they sure sound like dummies."

"Ruby…" Weiss giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes "Don't ever change."

Ruby smiled and patted her friend's head. Weiss sat upright again and smirked.

"Just because Blake has cat ears, doesn't mean she's a thieving, murderous terrorist. It just means she's cute."

"Wow. I did not expect that from you." The redhead said in wonderment.

"Are you judging me?"

"Nope. I like honest Weiss."

-x-

Blake smelled the campfire much earlier than she saw it.

She stepped into the clearing, finding two sleeping bags on the ground. She identified Yang, and presumed the other sleeper was her father. The faunus raised an eyebrow. Wasn't someone missing?

She heard a twig snap, but before she could turn back, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her until she slammed into a tree. She found herself face to face with a man with brown hair and a serious expression. He held her with one hand, while wielding a scythe with the other.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Blake Belladonna." She answered quickly.

"Are you an ex-terrorist?" He continued.

"…Yes."

The man waited a few seconds before opening a huge smile and releasing her.

"That's pretty cool!" He admitted "Never met any White Fang deserters before."

"They're… rare." Blake stated, taken aback by this man's behavior.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Qrow, Ruby's crazy uncle. I'm sure you've heard stories."

"I haven't, actually."

Qrow crossed his arms, appearing to be offended.

"Well, I am disappointed in my niece and Yang." He said "Speaking of which… Hey, blonde! Get up, there's a stray kitten here!"

Yang jumped up and looked at Qrow, infuriated. However, her eyes jumped to Blake and her expression softened.

"Hey! Nice to see you, Blake!" She greeted "I would ask about vacation, but, well…"

"Don't worry. I'm not even cranky." Blake joked, making sure her smile was genuine enough so that her friend didn't realize her real feelings about the matter.

"Where's Weiss?" Yang questioned.

"She's with Ruby right now." The brunette explained "They continued forward to the grave. I tried to talk Ruby out of it, but she was stubborn. At least Weiss managed to convince her to let her come along."

Yang nodded. Finding Ruby was difficult, and she had expected reasoning with her to be even more so.

"I guess there's nothing to be done about that." She sighed "So, how's ice queen doing?"

"She's holding on." Blake said briefly "We haven't talked about what happened yet."

"Sounds like a relationship problem to me." Qrow pointed out.

"We're not in a relationship." The faunus stated, feeling her cheeks redden.

"Aw. That's cute." Yang teased, smiling wickedly "Do you think they'll marry, Qrow?"

"Sure thing." He answered.

Blake shook her head and sat on the ground, ignoring the family banter as best as she could.

-x-

"I guess this is it." Weiss said.

She stopped to look at the area ahead, a brief plain covered in snow that led into a precipice. She could vaguely see the outline of a stone monument in the distance.

"Go on. I'll wait nearby." The once-heiress offered.

"Thanks, Weiss. You're the best." Ruby spoke.

The white-haired girl nodded and went back to the trees.

Ruby looked ahead and started walking towards the stone monument. She remembered this place from some time ago, and it didn't seem to have changed at all. The wind there was much fiercer, since there were no more trees to provide cover against it, and her cloak flowed tempestuously with it.

As she neared the monument, she could make out words engraved in it.

_Summer Rose_

_ Born to love_

_ Her heart was gold_

_ And as she leaves_

_ She stays in ours_

Ruby knelt down before the stone and lowered her head.

"Mother." She whispered "Can you hear me?"

She waited a few seconds, but no answer came.

"I've tried to call you before, but you didn't answer." She continued "And I don't know why you wanted me to come to you."

Silence.

"I just want to understand. What do you expect of me?"

She waited some more, but it was in vain.

_I was wrong, then._ The redhead thought, frowning. _You're really dead, then. Sorry for disturbing you._

Ruby got up and started to walk away.

"Ruby."

She looked back and saw the white figure floating on top of the grave, her cloak flowing gently against the wind.

"I heard you." She said "I am sorry it took so long for me to answer."

Ruby looked at the woman, her eyes widening. The mysterious person looked to the side and sighed.

"I guess there's no point in hiding anymore."

She grabbed her hood and lowered it, revealing her young, pale face with white eyes and red hair that stopped on her shoulders.

Ruby stepped forward and reached a hand tentatively. Summer extended her own, but it passed through her daughter's while leaving no feeling at all. The woman's face was bitter.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." She said "I can't be touched."

"So… You're really dead." The girl stated.

"Yes. I did die, and I am now what could be described as a ghost."

They both looked at each other. This was surreal. How could such a thing as a conversation between the living and the dead happen?

"How come you're a ghost?" Ruby questioned "Does everyone become one?"

"I am a special case." Summer explained briefly "My body is dead, but my spirit was conserved by forces I do not comprehend."

"Why?"

"Because I died with important knowledge. The world needed a guide, and I was chosen to be it."

Ruby's heart raced. There were so many things she wanted to ask, and she could barely organize them in a comprehensible form.

"How did you die?" She started.

"I was killed by Grimm." Summer responded "Not a regular one, of course. You have encountered her- or rather, it."

"The one that attacked me and Yang?"

Summer nodded.

"Do you remember Yang?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Of course. I remember everyone, and I've kept some level of watch over those I cared about." The woman answered. Before her daughter could ask another question, she raised a hand "I am sure you have many questions, Ruby, but you must hold them for now. I'll be able to answer them in the future."

Ruby nodded slowly. Her mother seemed way colder than she had been imagining for years. Maybe it was because she was a ghost, but that didn't help to alleviate the girl's disappointment.

Summer touched the ground and floated next to her daughter.

"I said I am guide for this world." She said "More specifically, I am to guide the people who will protect it from destruction."

"Destruction?"

Summer sighed.

"Yes. Total destruction." She continued "I was never meant to interact directly with you, or the ones who you will fight with. The only person I talked with about my duty was Ozpin."

"Ozpin?" Ruby repeated "Why him?"

"There's more behind that man than his eccentric personality suggests. He was supposed to explain everything to your team."

Summer spoke that with a little bit of annoyance. The young girl noticed that was the first sign of emotion the woman had shown.

"Instead, I had to step in, and this method is much more complicated and it will cause much more distress than necessary." The ghost said "I cannot talk to you out here for very long, however. I am being tracked, and anywhere outside of populated areas is dangerous to those around me."

"Is that why you didn't talk to me before?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. But from now on, I will answer your calls. Provided they are smart, of course." Summer spoke "I need to leave before you're in danger. Tell your friends about me, but not Taiyang or my brother. Then, visit Ozpin with your team and we'll explain the situation."

"Okay." Ruby said meekly.

The young leader looked at Summer for a few seconds, before gathering the courage to talk again.

"Mom?"

The dead woman looked at her inquisitively.

"I love you." The girl stated.

The ghost stared at her for a few moments, before looking away with a pained expression. Then she was gone in the blink of an eye.

Ruby waited a few minutes before turning back, her mind empty. She walked past Weiss, who looked at her with curiosity.

"Hey." The once-heiress called, noticing her friend's unusual quietude "What happened?"

The redhead stopped and looked back at Weiss. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes transmitted a vast array of emotions: fear, wonderment, relief. But underneath it all, there was something bigger…

"I spoke to my mother." Ruby opened a tiny smile "She spoke back."

Peace.

-x-

**Hey! I am so happy to finally post this chapter. This here will really drive the plot forward, and you guys will see the tone I want it to have. I don't think the Summer reveal was too unexpected, and sincerely, I didn't plan for it to be a shocker. I mean, the title of this story is Children of Summer. Also, I hinted at this in the altered version of Red like Roses in the prologue, but I guess that required a little more thinking about the original song itself. Tell me your opinions about this, I'm really want to know what you thought of this chapter.**

** Now, to answer the reviews.**

** First, Cyborg. Thank you very much for the reviews! The Black trailer didn't happen here, for reasons that will be revealed later. I guess Stork could have worked... CFVY is Coffee, after all, so there is some leniency allowed in the team's name. But I thought Storm Qrow was a funny little thing to add. Thank you!**

** Kathi. I think pretty much everyone expects Weiss's father to be 'evil' in the show. I tried to picture him in a better light, so that at least his racism has an explanation. He's still an asshole, though. Also, I think the whole of team RWBY is very 'huggable', probably because they all have some sort of sad past, even in canon. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Lojzek. Thank you for the compliments. I really hope Qrow stayed interesting this chapter. He will appear more in the story, but for now it's important for him to just be characterized properly. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Major thanks to everyone who favorited, followed and/or reviewed! Brace yourselves for next chapter, Summer is coming (I really wanted to make this joke last chapter, but I resisted because of spoilers).**

** -Zeroan**


	14. Every truth lies shattered

"And then, from the caves, emerged an even larger threat… It was the biggest Death Stalker I have ever seen."

Qrow raised his hands theatrically while making a weird '_whoosh_' sound. He inclined one of his arms, as if it was the tail of the beast he spoke of, and brought it down, and then proceeded to simulate a '_crack_'.

Blake followed close behind him, eyebrows raised, both amused and intrigued by the tale. Yang and her father, however, wore exasperated expressions. They had heard that story too many times already.

"But I did not back down…" Qrow continued, narrowing his eyes "With a quick movement, I sliced all the remaining Grimm in half, and did not part my gaze from that monstrosity."

"What did it do?" The faunus asked suspiciously, but still interested.

"It looked at me, and then to the bodies that were dissipating to smoke… And ran away back to its hidey-hole, no doubt planning to not leave it for at least a week." The scythe-wielder concluded, smiling widely "Impressive, right?"

"I didn't know Grimm felt fear." Blake commented.

"Most of them don't ever face anything that can scare then."

Yang groaned.

"Don't believe in anything he says, Blake." The blonde warned "The only thing uncle Qrow exaggerates more than his stories is the size of his d-"

"Yang!" Taiyang interrupted her "I know Qrow is infuriating, but we must not lower ourselves to his level."

"That's right." Qrow said "Your father knows his place, Yang."

"You stupid piece of crap!" Taiyang exclaimed, losing his temper "You weren't alone on that mission! We all did our parts, and you were the only one who ran when that Death Stalker appeared! If it weren't for Summer, you would have bolted right back to Beacon!"

"And you would have followed me!" The brown-haired man shot back "You would have melted right into Raven's shadow if you could have!"

The two men stopped walking and faced each other, continuing to trade insults non-stop. Blake's eyes widened, perplexed at the sight of these two grown-up Hunters arguing like children.

"They are always like that." Yang said, shaking her head amusedly "They'll stop after some time and just laugh about it." She frowned "Unless it's about the alcohol accident."

The men stopped talking and looked at the blonde in perfect synchronization. Yang shivered, preparing herself to hear about that story another time.

Before anything could happen, however, she was hit in the back and fell on the snow. Red obscured her vision and she felt a warm body on top of her.

"Yang!" Ruby screamed in pure joy "I missed you, I'm so sorry, I feel bad about-"

"Get off me!" Yang screamed, her face pressed against the snow.

Ruby got off of her and looked at her sister sheepishly. The blonde got up and hugged her.

"Don't ever do that again!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry!"

"It's okay. I know you're sorry." Yang smiled, patting the redhead's hair.

The heart-warming scene was interrupted by a distant high-pitched yell. A figure came in sliding in the snow, barely keeping her balance, before crashing into Blake and taking her down to the ground.

The brunette tried to get up, only to hit her head against the new arrival's. Weiss looked at her, ready to start shouting, but then noticed their closeness and jumped away in a hurry.

The white-haired girl coughed and dusted her clothes, trying desperately to hide her blush.

"H-hi!" She exclaimed nervously, lifting her hand while looking at Taiyang and Qrow, forcibly tearing her gaze away from the grounded Blake "I'm Weiss! I-I'm not a mess, I just got flustered a-and I don't-"

She stopped talking and closed her eyes, counting from one to ten calmly in her head. She then opened them again and extended her hand to her Blake.

"I am very sorry, miss Belladonna." The once-heiress said with finesse "I did not mean to cause you any harm or discomfort. Might you forgive me?"

Blake took the hand and got up, with a smirk that showed her amusement at the situation. She winked and kissed the back of Weiss' hand.

"Yes, milady. I forgive thee."

The dust user's face reddened, and she looked about to return to her former state of embarrassment. She looked desperately around, until she fixed her eyes into someone else.

"Ruby Rose! This is all your fault!" She exclaimed.

"M-me? You were the one who crashed into Blake!" The redhead said.

"You ran off without any warning! I had to chase you, and because of that I lost my balance and now your family thinks I'm weird and Blake is being flirtatious and-"

Weiss closed her eyes and shook her head. She turned her back and walked to the edge of the clearing, where she stayed without uttering another word.

"Did I exaggerate?" Blake asked worryingly.

"Nah. Ice queen is just afraid of melting." Yang rolled her eyes "Come on, cat. Let's keep her company."

The two girls made their way to Weiss' side.

Ruby found herself alone with both her father and uncle. She looked at the two of them hesitantly, dying to tell them about Summer, but her mother had made it very clear she didn't want them to know about her being alive.

_Wait, she's not alive. She's dead. No she isn't. She's a ghost. But aren't ghosts the spirit of dead people?_

The redhead's thoughts were interrupted by someone lifting her up in the air in a hug.

"Ruby! You adorable little pest!" Qrow exclaimed happily. He put her down and smiled proudly "I see you made it out alive. In fact, I haven't noticed a single scratch. That's the niece I know and love."

"I had a great teacher." The girl said cheerfully "Although Weiss and Blake did help at the end."

"Well, half of a Huntress's power should come from her teammates and friends." The uncle reminded. He looked at the other girls. Yang seemed to be talking cheerfully about something that made Blake amused and Weiss even more embarrassed "By the way, is there some form of bet revolving around that pair?"

"No. We could bet about marriage, but I don't think anyone would go against it."

Qrow hummed thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should bet about the first time they do it. I give it six months."

"Do it?" Ruby frowned confusedly.

"Oh, you know. _That_ thing you'll be doing soon too." The man teased.

Ruby's expression grew even more confused, but before he could outright state what he meant, Qrow was shoved away from the girl. Taiyang shook his head.

"Don't listen to your uncle."

The redhead looked at her father, not knowing what to do. He waited for a while, also indecisive, but then pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so relieved to see you unharmed."

"I'm sorry, dad." Ruby spoke sadly "I was selfish. You have suffered so much, but I still made you worry with no good reason."

"It's okay, dear. You're not selfish at all." He reassured, stepping back and putting his hands on her shoulders "I never saw it before, but… You've grown so much. That little childish girl I knew is gone. You're so much more now, sweetheart."

He smiled proudly.

"I looked at you that night, and I had heard about your adventures in Beacon… I realized you are just like Summer." Taiyang admitted "I was afraid. I don't want to lose anyone else, but… I can't treat you like her."

Father hugged daughter again.

"Summer is dead. You're alive." He concluded "It's time to let go of the past."

Ruby held him tight, tears escaping her eyes. Taiyang stepped back and wiped them away.

"Sorry, dad. I'm just… So happy to see you."

He smiled, never once suspecting there was something more behind those tears.

-x-

The travel back to Patch went by much quicker. Grimm were easier to deal with because of their increased party, and the snow had begun to lessen as the winter season ended. After four days, the group was back on the island.

Qrow excused himself as soon as they arrived, saying he had left a job to help them and needed to get right back to it. Taiyang was more absent, because Signal's classes had already begun.

So it turned out that team RWBY had the Xiao Long house all to themselves for the morning and day. The four spent much time together, visiting interesting places on the island and just having fun.

Ruby's mind, however, was frequently somewhere else. She both craved and feared the day they went back to Beacon. She wanted to see her mother again, but was worried about the matters she wanted to tell her team.

The day before school began again, the redhead was confronted by Weiss while their teammates were busy doing something else. The heiress sat Ruby on the living room couch and crossed her arms.

"Have you told Yang yet?" She asked.

"… No."

Weiss sat beside her leader and frowned.

"You'll have to do it sooner or later, Ruby." She warned "I know it's a delicate matter, but you can't run from it."

"I'm not running from it." Ruby protested "I'm just thinking of how to break the news to her."

"Well, it's Yang." Weiss said tentatively "She won't be sad."

The redhead sighed.

"Maybe you're right. But Yang never said anything about my mother." She explained "What if she's angry at her because Raven was with father first?"

"The only way to find out how she'll react is by telling her." The once-heiress said and got up "It's often like that with family."

She smiled sadly and left Ruby alone with her thoughts.

-x-

That night, Taiyang had to stay at work until late, so the girls had to arrange dinner on their own. Yang suggested they order pizza, but Weiss refused to do that, saying it was 'unfit for people of their level'. Ruby then said that her sister could cook them a meal she was very fond of. From the way she spoke of it, it sounded delicious, and Blake and Weiss quickly agreed to have it that way.

However, they soon found out it was a mistake to trust the sisters' taste in food. The meal was made of… they couldn't even tell what the ingredients were. It was almost black, as if it had burned a little, and had a nasty smell.

Weiss pushed her plate away immediately. Blake took a bite of it and her face seemed to petrify in disgust. The sisters just ate their portions, and then took their teammate's for a second serving.

"How can you eat that…? It's horrible." Weiss muttered, horrified.

"Not everyone has a princesses' sense of taste." Yang retorted.

"Blake has not spoken a single word since she took that bite." The once-heiress noted.

"Come on, Blaky, it's not that bad, right?" The blonde asked.

Blake looked at her friend and shivered.

"Sorry… I think I tasted better things when I was homeless." She said.

"You're all a bunch of sissies." Yang rolled her eyes "Want another serving, Ruby?"

The redhead pushed her fifth plate away and shook her head.

"No. Yang, Blake, I need to tell you something."

The brunette looked at her leader inquisitively, while Yang grinned.

"Are you having an affair with Weiss?" She teased.

"Quiet, Xiao Long." Weiss said curtly "This is serious."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and then looked back at her sister. Ruby was looking down at her lap, deep in thought.

"What is it, Ruby?" Yang asked, noticing how serious this was.

"When I visited mother's grave, I met with the white figure." The redhead said "She's… Summer Rose."

The room was suddenly in silence.

Blake frowned, her mind already running wild. She didn't know much about Ruby's mother, but she did know her name and how she had been killed many years ago. Weiss looked between the two sisters, worried about any sudden outburst from any of them.

Yang just stared quietly ahead, realization hitting her slowly. She raised her hands and put them on the table, clenching her fists unconsciously.

"What do you mean, Ruby?" She asked somberly "Summer has been dead since you were a baby."

"I know it sounds crazy." The redhead gulped "But she's not _dead_ dead. She's like a ghost. I don't know why she's still here. Something about a duty to guide the world."

Yang stayed quiet for a few seconds, before cracking a smile and laughing. Blake looked at Weiss, trying to figure out if this was a prank she and Ruby had planned. From her partner's worried expression, she could tell that was not the case.

"Yang." The brunette said "I don't think this is a joke."

The brawler stopped laughing and looked at the faunus.

"Yeah, right." She said in disbelief "You're into this too?"

"Shut up, Yang!" Ruby exclaimed "I'm not joking!"

"Okay, I'll humor you, sis. Prove it to me." The blonde said, pushing her chair back and smiling.

Ruby stood up and slammed her hand on the table.

"Mother! Can you hear me?!" She called "I need you right now!"

She waited anxiously, looking around the room. Blake raised an eyebrow, not sure what to think about her leader's actions. Yang snickered, wondering how much longer her sister was going to extend this joke. Even Weiss was a little unnerved. All proof she had of Ruby's claim was her words after visiting her mother's grave. Maybe she had been too quick to believe the girl.

"I-I'm not joking." The redhead said desperately.

She sat down and put a hand on her forehead.

"Damnit…" She whispered uncharacteristically.

"I guess that was a decent joke. Maybe a little cruel, but you get props for sticking to it." Yang teased "It would have been better if-"

She stopped talking when a person appeared beside her sister. She levitated slightly above the ground, and wore only a white cloak that covered her entire body. The only visible part was her head, with red hair and white eyes.

"Ruby." She said softly "I told you we would talk in Beacon."

"Sorry." Ruby answered sheepishly "Nobody would believe me. How did you expect me to bring them to Ozpin without telling them about you?"

"I understand." The woman assured "But I can't stay any longer or-"

"What the hell!"

Yang jumped from her table and punched at the woman, only to have her fist pass through her. She yelled with frighten and jumped back.

"…Hello, Yang." The woman said "I'm Summer Rose. Your sister speaks truth."

"This makes no sense." Yang complained, still staring at the new arrival with fear.

"Ruby will explain everything." Summer assured, before turning to the other girls "Schnee, Belladonna… Do you know who I am?"

"Yes." Weiss frowned "Don't call me Schnee."

"How do you know who we are?" Blake questioned, unnerved by the ghost.

Summer sighed.

"Tomorrow, Ozpin's office." She said "I need to go."

And then, she disappeared.

"What. The. Hell." Yang spoke slowly.

Weiss got up and poked Blake on the shoulder. The faunus looked at her partner, and understood her message: they should leave the sisters alone for now. The two left for the living room.

Ruby smiled faintly.

"It's a shock, right?"

"You can put it like that." Yang agreed, sitting down again "When did you find out?"

"Well… I had my suspicions. I thought I saw her face the night I confronted her, but wasn't really sure." The redhead admitted.

"That's why you visited the grave?"

"No. I was actually upset at dad." Ruby said, laughing softly "I called her there. I didn't really expect to be right, but I was."

Yang nodded. She didn't really know how to feel about this. On one hand, Ruby would get to meet her mother. On the other, this was just too good to be true. Summer clearly had a purpose to remain in this world, and it didn't seem like it would affect things positively.

"Do you like her?" Ruby asked "You haven't talked to her or anything, but…"

"I don't know." The blonde answered, frowning "What do you expect me to say?"

"Don't you hate her for being with dad? I mean, your mother was his _wife_…" The leader muttered.

Yang got up and hugged her sister, resting her head against hers.

"It's a bit difficult to admit, but my mother is gone. It's good that father let her go. He honors her memory every day, but doesn't need to torture himself to do so." The blonde said softly "And I can't hate Summer for being with father for a while… Because if she hadn't, I never would have met you."

Ruby smiled and hugged her back.

"Thanks, Yang. You're the best sister ever."

"Of course I am!" Yang exclaimed "And I won't let anything tear us apart. Got it?"

"Yep."

The two stood a few meters from each other and smiled. They heard the front door open and looked at it. Taiyang stepped inside the kitchen and raised an eyebrow at them.

"What's happening here?" He asked.

"Yang cooked. It was delicious!" Ruby blurted out, kicking her sister in the foot, telling her not-so-subtly to not say anything about Summer.

"Weiss and Blake didn't think so." The blonde frowned "They're in the living room, making out!" She yelled the last part.

"Damnit, Xiao Long!" Weiss answered in the same volume "I'm trying to keep Blake from throwing up!"

"Wow! You're _that_ bad?"

Taiyang smiled with amusement.

"I'm sure your cooking was delicious, dear." He assured.

"There's some left. Want to eat?" Yang smiled hopefully.

"Uh… I had dinner… at work…" The father answered slowly "I have homework to correct."

"In the first week after break?" Ruby asked confusedly.

Taiyang opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't think of any good excuse. So instead, he simply bolted out of the kitchen to his room, leaving his daughters wondering what was wrong with him.

-x-

"So, how's Melanie's music career going?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune groaned. Much to his embarrassment, his partner had stayed at his house for a couple of days, so she had met with his family. Not only had he been teased about the two being so close, the visit had also resulted in her knowing a lot about his relatives.

"Melanie doesn't sing." He answered "I think you meant Monica. Or Lilian, but she gave up two years ago."

"Well… Don't blame me for being confused. You're the one with seven sisters." The redhead defender herself "I could ask you about your uncles. That would be _much _worse."

"Oh, no." Jaune muttered, horrified at that suggestion "I'm seriously sorry about uncle Jeremy. He isn't really, you know… Good with the ladies."

"I noticed." Pyrrha said. She shook her head, remembering his friend's disturbing uncle "He must have been terrible around your _seven sisters_."

Jaune groaned again. She would never stop teasing him about his family.

In the middle of the crowd of students arriving at Beacon, he noticed a familiar sight and smiled. He never thought speaking with Nora would be less annoying than listening to Pyrrha, but right now he knew what his choice was.

"Nora! Ren!" He screamed "We're here!"

The pink-haired girl looked at him and smiled. She ran, skipping along the way, almost knocking people around her to the ground, and then hugged him.

"Hi!" She yelled excitedly "How were your vacations, guys? I had a lot of fun!"

"Where's Ren?" Jaune blurted out before Pyrrha could say anything.

The remaining member of JNPR arrived, panting with exhaustion. He looked at Nora and shook his head with disappointment.

"You almost caused a girl's skull to crack when she fell to the ground." He complained.

"That's the key word, Ren! _Almost_!" Nora pointed out, smiling widely.

"So, Nora clearly enjoyed her vacation." Pyrrha commented "What about you, Ren?"

"It was nice." Ren answered in his usual brief way "What about you?"

The redhead smiled wickedly.

"Have you ever heard about Jaune's grandfather?"

-x-

Ozpin sat in front of his desk, calmly signing some papers while drinking his coffee. School period had begun again, so he was back to his normal job. He knew this peace would end soon, so he was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

He heard a knock on his door and closed his eyes. Clearly, he had overestimated the time he had. The headmaster sighed, admitting his peace was really over.

"Come in." He called.

The door opened, and four girls stepped in. He raised his eyebrows at Team RWBY, pretending to be intrigued.

"Did you miss me?" He asked.

Ruby stared at her teammates, not sure how to start this conversation. Yang smiled at her and then looked at the headmaster.

"We're here to talk about Summer Rose." She clarified.

Ozpin looked at them quietly. He put his mug down and sighed.

"Of course. This had to happen sooner or later" He said in a serious tone "Have you met her already?"

"Briefly." Yang answered "Ruby talked to her a little more. She was the first to know."

"I see…" He looked at the redhead worryingly "Are you all right, Miss Rose?"

"I'm okay, professor. Just a little nervous." Ruby shook her head, trying to calm down.

She breathed deeply, and then looked at the ceiling.

"Mother?" She called "We're with the headmaster."

They waited a few moments, until the white-cloaked Summer Rose appeared beside Ozpin. She looked at the girl and then at the professor, greeting them silently.

"So you answer her calls, but just barge in my office uninvited." Ozpin noted.

"Get over it." Summer said forcefully "This is no time for jokes. Are you ready to talk to them, Ozpin?"

"What would happen if I said no?" The headmaster wondered.

"I wouldn't give a damn." The ghost answered.

The girls looked at the two adults, surprised at their interaction. They always thought of Ozpin as an authority figure who, while very understanding and lenient, was not to be messed around with. But right now he seemed to be almost afraid of Summer.

Ruby was even more surprised. From the little time she had talked with her mother, she had formed an image of her as composed and not willing to show emotion. However, she was clearly angry with Ozpin right now.

"But before we get to the most important matter, there's a lot to be cleared up me." Summer noted "Ask me anything, girls."

The students at each other, not sure what to say. While Ruby and Yang had more personal questions to ask, they weren't sure if this was the right time, and Weiss didn't really feel comfortable talking to this stranger.

"What exactly are you?" Blake asked, intrigued "You are clearly not dead. You show some characteristics of what is commonly called a _ghost_, like levitating and being intangible. But calling you a ghost seems… ridiculous."

"Unfortunately, that is the best term available." Summer said "I cannot fully explain my condition, because I don't really know the specifics."

"What do you know, then?" The faunus continued.

"When I was attacked by Grimm fifteen years ago, my body died. However, my spirit remained." The woman paused, thinking about how to explain "You could say the body is just a shell. When it dies, the spirit is released. Where that goes, I have no knowledge of. But my spirit remained in this world, and I could manipulate my image to simulate my former body."

"Is biology class just a bunch of crap, then?" Yang asked "You're paying attention to this, headmaster?"

Ozpin smiled.

"Sorry. Our bodies function just as you have learnt in class. The existence of a spirit doesn't disprove anything, it just provides further questions." He frowned "This is a school focused on training Hunters and Huntresses, so we should leave them to other people to answer."

"Okay. So what can you do in your current state?" Weiss asked, now intrigued by these revelations "I presume you don't have any physical connections, that's why you can float and pass through objects."

"I am, for the most part, invulnerable. Nothing physical can threaten me, and the inverse is also true." Summer said.

"For the most part." Blake repeated.

"Yes. I have theorized that the spirit is the part of us that holds our very identity. Emotions, memories, and reason seem to be tied to it." The woman explained "The Grimm are the embodiment of bad emotions. I could, hypothetically, be hurt by them if I didn't take care."

Ruby gasped.

"That's why you were afraid of that Grimm!" She frowned "Well, ignoring the fact it was the one who killed you."

"That's true." Summer answered, smiling faintly "The Grimm seem to be able to track me down very easily. It may be because my spirit is exposed, so my emotions are more noticeable to them."

"And that's the reason you don't stay in one place for too long." Blake concluded "But can't you teleport, or go invisible? What have you been doing before?"

"Since I have no physical connection to this world, mobilization is much easier. It is not instant, however, and I can't disappear." The ghost sighed "If I could, avoiding the Grimm would be much easier."

Team RWBY looked at each other, thinking of any other questions. Ruby stared at Blake, wondering if she had any more scientific inquiries, but the faunus seemed to be satisfied with what she had learned.

"I guess this is it." The redhead leader said.

"My part is done, then. Time for yours, Ozpin." Summer spoke.

She floated back, looking at the professor pointedly. He sighed. This was a moment he had been dreading for a very long time.

"Thousands of years ago, the Grimm were a very large threat to all living beings." He began "The only way we survived was by the discovery of Dust. Using it, we began to strike back, when before we would just defend ourselves. The kingdoms were founded, and finally we had a safe haven."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Weiss asked impatiently "We learned that in history class."

"You learned all you had to know." Ozpin corrected "What everyone else but me knows."

He got up and looked through the windows of his office. The students were meeting each other on the academy's campus, catching up about what they had done during the break. He could see many of them carried their weapons with them, and some even looked anxious to return to class.

"Have you ever wondered about what the Grimm are?" He asked.

"They're monsters." Yang frowned "What sort of question is that?"

"Calm down, Miss Xiao Long. Sure, the Grimm are monsters. But really, why do they exist? Why are they different to the other peaceful animals we know?"

"They don't eat." Blake answered tentatively "The only thing they do is hunt us."

"And why is that?"

"Because of our negative emotions." Weiss concluded.

Ozpin smiled and nodded.

"There's the reason you two are at the top of your class." He complimented, before returning to being serious "The Grimm are attracted to our negative emotions. When they find us, their instinct is to kill."

"No one has ever found out why." Blake remembered.

"Yes. Why would a creature of darkness want to erase the darkness in us?" Ozpin wondered "Miss Belladonna, you said no one has found out why, and you were partially right. Men and faunus forgot thousands of years ago, as the struggle eased and the most terrible memories faded." He sighed and turned to the girls, his face somber "I never forgot."

RWBY looked at him, all feeling confused at his speech. He could have studied and found out the reason on his own, or learned from someone else, but his choice of words pointed out an impossible truth.

"Some people don't like to tell others about their Semblances, because it can provide an advantage in battle, or some don't like what they represent about themselves. I never tell anyone my Semblance, because no one ever believes me. I learned that lesson some, uh, nine thousand years ago?" He grinned "I don't age."

"That is unbelievable." Weiss said evenly.

"Unbelievable?" Yang repeated "That's bullshit!"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow and looked at Summer, who was watching them impassively.

"He is telling the truth." She assured "Your headmaster's Semblance is extremely rare, and even those born with it tend to live even less than normal people."

"Yes. I was very arrogant in my youth. If time cannot kill me, what do I have to fear?" Ozpin said amusedly "Thankfully, I learned my lesson. I am not immortal."

"So… How old are you?" Ruby asked.

"…I don't remember. And I can't calculate, because there were no calendars when I was born." The professor answered.

"Okay. So you're thousands years old." Blake accepted "What didn't you forget?"

Ozpin's expression darkened again.

"When I was born, there were no kingdoms. Settlements were sparse, and living was just a question of surviving until tomorrow. Frankly, it's miracle that men and faunus survived that age." He remembered, his tone grave "Grimm were much fiercer than today, because they had union. They had a leader of sorts."

"A leader?" Ruby asked slowly.

"We called it the Dark." Ozpin said "It is a being not human, not faunus, not Grimm. True to this title, it was darkness itself. Though nobody knew for sure, we theorized it came from our own kind. The embodiment of our darker selves."

"The Dark preyed on every being alive, not based on reason or need, but out of hatred." Summer stepped in, recognizing the headmaster had some difficulty at telling this tale "And as it destroyed us, it became stronger. It created pawns, those you know as Grimm."

"And here's the harshest truth, girls. The Grimm aren't just monsters." Ozpin continued "They are men and faunus, bereft of all positive emotions, driven to hunt their lost kind."

Ruby took a step back, her face frozen in shock. She bumped into Yang, who held her by the shoulders, feeling her sister's arms shaking.

"You don't mean that. The Grimm are just Grimm." Yang refuted.

"As you know it, yes. Once they are transformed, there is no coming back. They become mindless beasts with the only objective to kill us." Summer said "This was only in the beginning. When we became free, the Grimm only survived by mating. They don't have any shed of humanity left in them."

"Yes. We managed to survive when we discovered Dust." Ozpin remembered "And though it is a powerful resource in its own right, our true success came from the hope it brought. For once, we stood together and fought back, striking the Dark directly and vanquishing it."

Ruby, Yang and Weiss sighed in relief. They had heard enough about that being to fear facing it. However, Blake narrowed her eyes at the headmaster.

"You wouldn't tell us all that for nothing." She pointed out evenly "The Dark didn't die, did it?"

Ozpin nodded slowly.

"We put it to sleep, and now it is awake again."

"Wouldn't we notice it if our most hated enemy were alive?" Weiss asked.

"Everyone will know." Summer said "I was one of the first victims. Thankfully, I remained here, and warned Ozpin, who told me everything. My duty became clear. One's spirit doesn't stay unless it has a reason to."

She moved until she was in front of the girls.

"The Dark will fall upon all living beings soon. We will need warriors to fight, and Beacon has graduated and is training many. However, we don't need to only survive. We need to put an end to the Dark." She paused "I chose you four to aid in that task."

"You can't." Yang said, gritting her teeth "Why would you choose us? We're not even real Huntresses yet."

Summer nodded, understanding her argument.

"The Dark's greatest enemies are those driven by positive emotions." She explained "I could see a thousand other more experienced warriors, but none of them would be better suited for this job than you."

"That's a lie." Blake refuted "I am not driven by positive emotions. I was born to violence and death, and for much of my life, I was driven by these two things. If you need an angel, don't look at me."

"I can say the same." Weiss agreed "I was raised by a racist man who commits horrendous crimes daily because of his ignorance. It wouldn't have taken much for me to become the same as him."

Ozpin sat on his desk and took a sip from his coffee.

"From darkness comes light." He mused "You both have bettered yourselves willingly. Your paths were set to evil, but you changed that."

Weiss and Blake looked at the headmaster, and couldn't help but agree. They shared a glance, remembering their promise to change the world for the better.

"What about me?" Ruby asked, frowning.

"Are you kidding me, sis?" Yang exclaimed "You're the purest soul I've ever met. Seriously, you grew up around me and Qrow, and still are as innocent as a baby."

"That's not true!" The redhead protested "I don't drink milk anymore."

Summer raised an eyebrow.

"Now you see why you were my choice." She said "I will leave you some time for thinking. When you are ready, talk to Ozpin. We will give you your first mission."

"Yes. Go to your dormitory and think about what we've told you. It's your choice in the end." Ozpin clarified.

The girls nodded and left the office in silence.

The headmaster sighed.

"Ruby could just call you. No need to drag me into everything." He said.

He waited for a response, but when he looked to the side, Summer was already gone. Ozpin shook his head and picked up his scroll, quickly dialing a number.

"Glynda?" He called "Arrange a press conference. I am becoming a politician for the end of the world."

-x-

She watched from far away as he climbed the stair at the front of Beacon, until he was above the reporters who swarmed him with microphones and cameras.

He started talking, his face serious and his tone somber. She pointed her arm at him, starting to gather her energy, not caring to hear his speech.

He had ruined her life, and she was happy to finally end his.

A flame appeared on the tip of her fingers, slowly starting to grow into a bigger sphere of heat. She was too far away to simply throw it. Precise aim would be needed if she wanted to hit him fatally.

The young woman extended her arm more, focusing her eyes on the headmaster. She concentrated on him alone, excitement running through her veins as she came closer to her goal.

However, that concentration made listening to his words inevitable. A tale familiar to her. He spoke of pain, and loss, and of future ruin. Of sacrifice, and of hope. She could see his eyes were sparking with emotion, and he meant every word, even when the reporters concluded he was mad.

She lowered her arm, the flame dissipating into nothing.

"It's not your lucky day, Ozpin." She whispered "I won't end your suffering early. You will survive this mess, and you will once again feel the pain and misery."

Cinder smiled.

"And _then_, I will kill you."

-x-

**Holy Dust, this was a long chapter. 5927 words in total. Yep, that's a lot.**

** This chapter marks the end of what I like to think of as Act 1. It doesn't really mean anything, but it's a nice way to separate the earlier chapters to the ones that will come, which will be driven by the plot revealed here. I realize some of you might think this plot is cliche (Bigger Bad is going to destroy the world, blablabla), but I hope you will stay reading and find out what I am doing with it.**

** Reviews!**

** Ihavenoidea, thank you so much for reading! And in one go? That's even more awesome! Also, welcome to the RWBY fandom! It's one of the best fandoms ever, really!**

** Thank you to everyone who follows, favorites and reviews this story!**

**-Zeroan**


	15. Yang in there

"Arms up!"

Pyrrha swung her sword down, bringing it down towards Jaune's head. The blond boy lifted his shield, blocking the attack in time.

The redhead grinned. In his effort to protect himself, he had left his entire lower body vulnerable to the slightest attack. She saw the opening in his stance immediately, and swooped down, kicking at his legs.

To her surprise, Jaune jumped, avoiding the offensive completely. She stumbled forward, her balance completely shattered at that moment, and he spun and hit her back with the broad side of his sword. Pyrrha fell to the ground, astonished.

The boy looked at her, and then at his sword, and then back at her. Suddenly, he panicked, dropped his weapon and extended a hand to her.

"Pyrrha! Are you okay?"

She took his hand and got up with a wide smile on her face.

"You managed to knock me to the ground." She realized "Good work, Jaune."

"T-thank you!" He exclaimed "But I don't even know how I did it."

"Don't worry about that. It means you're becoming a capable fighter all on your own. Few people can do that you just did." The redhead assured "Besides, half of time I don't know how I win my fights. Some of them are decided just by refined instincts."

"That sounds complicated. Maybe I was just lucky?"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes.

"You're a gold coin shining in a well of insecurity." She said "Be thankful I'm willing to fill up some buckets to retrieve you."

"Wow. Where did you get that analogy from?" Jaune asked, impressed at her words "You're awesome, Pyrrha."

The redhead shook her head.

"I'm not awesome. I'm just a normal huntress-in-training." She refuted.

"Well, I know a few of those, and most of them didn't win dozens of combat tournaments, speak gold instead of words, and are willing to put up with a practically untrained moron because they see potential in him." Jaune deadpanned.

"Okay. Maybe I'm a little awesome." Pyrrha agreed "But those things are just what make me who I am. Just like everyone else has their own personal characteristics. For example, Nora is slightly crazy, but also very talented and actually a great friend. Ren is quiet, but wise and caring. They are awesome too."

"Well, some people are more awesome than others." Jaune noted "I declare you, Pyrrha Nikos, as the _awesomest_!"

The redhead laughed at her partner's silliness.

"I declare Jaune Arc as the second _awesomest_ then." Pyrrha said "A nice, selfless guy with lots of potential, worthy of always being beside the first spot."

She smiled at him, waiting for his reaction at that last phrase. He smiled back and picked up his sword.

"Well, I gotta work to stay in second spot, then!" He spun his weapon "Prepare yourself!"

"He is also very bad at picking up on obvious hints." She muttered under her own breath.

"Did you say something?" Jaune asked confusedly.

"I said…"

She jumped toward him with her sword raised.

"Never let your guard down!"

-x-

Yang walked through the campus at night, her arms crossed as she moved about aimlessly. After hours of being in bed, she had given up on sleep, put on some clothes and went to walk alone with her thoughts.

Her mind was a mess right now, and that was an infrequent state for it to be in. After learning about Summer, going back to school, talking to Ozpin and Ruby's mother about ghosts, Grimm and the Dark, and then having a long discussion with her team about their future, she had a right to be that way. Frankly, she was surprised everyone else was sleeping soundly at their room.

They had decided to agree with Summer and accept the role they had been given. Ruby had argued strongly for that side, and no one had expected anything else from her. She was a huntress at her core, willing to do anything to help people, and this mission was the epitome of that job. The fact that her mother had given it to her only strengthened her resolve.

Weiss had been a little more hesitant. She thought maybe it would be too much for them to handle, and her confidence was shattered after the events at her house. However, she seemed to find her decision to fight the Dark when she remembered how much she wanted to change. She argued that to prove herself, she shouldn't stop at anything. In the end, she stood by Ruby's side.

Blake was the most resilient. Everyone said that she wasn't as bad as she thought she was, but nothing would change her mind. The faunus argued Summer and Ozpin had made a wrong call about her, and she would just jeopardize the mission. She only agreed to go on it when everyone else had.

Yang had agreed as soon as Ruby had.

The blonde uncrossed her arms and punched the air, shooting with Ember Celica at the ground in anger.

_Why can't I make any argument of my own?! Here's everyone, giving their best reasons, and you're just there to follow your sister around!_

She shook with rage and fired again, her hair flaring gold. These outbursts of anger were constant for her, and they always managed to cool her down. This time, however, it wouldn't, because she had only one person to project her fury against: herself.

"Yang?"

She looked back and found Blake staring at her a few meters away. It was difficult to make out any details, but the blonde swore she could see the shining of tears on her friend's face.

"Hi, Blake." Yang greeted, forgetting her rage immediately "What are you doing you here?"

"Just thinking about stuff. I guess that's what you are doing too." Blake looked at the scorched ground "Or _were_ doing."

"I thought you were sleeping back the dormitory." The brawler noted.

The faunus shrugged.

"According to Ruby, I'm a ninja. Maybe that explains some things."

"It does." Yang frowned "Are you crying, Blake?"

"Why were you angry?" Blake asked, completely ignoring her friend's question "You agreed about the mission. Shouldn't you be satisfied?"

Yang sighed and sat on the ground, patting on the spot beside her. Blake complied and sat near her.

"I'm just frustrated I didn't have anything to add." The blonde answered.

"That scorch doesn't suggest only frustration." The faunus noted.

"It's stupid. _I'm_ stupid." Yang insisted "I agreed with Ruby immediately. No hesitation, nothing to add to her arguments… I just went along with her."

"She made a good point. We're Huntresses, so we should take the mission." Blake said "There's nothing wrong with agreeing with her. And nobody expected you to disagree."

The brawler slammed her fists against the ground.

"That's what I mean!" She yelled frustrated "I'm just _Ruby's sister_ to everyone! If she does something, you expect me to go along with it, unless it's something ridiculous. Nobody questions my opinion, because I don't seem to have any!"

Blake shook her head.

"We don't see you like that, Yang." She assured "We know you as the fun-loving, funny, slightly annoying friend. You're not frightened by danger, and you care about other people. There's nothing that should make you disagree with Ruby on that plan."

"It still seems shallow that I agreed so quickly." The blonde frowned.

"Yang, you don't know how much I wanted to agree like you did." Blake admitted "I really want to carry out this task, no matter the danger. I'm just worried that I'm the wrong choice for this mission, and I'll screw things up."

"You never screw things up." Yang pointed out.

Blake shook her head slowly, but said nothing.

"Scratch that. There is _one_ thing you're always screwing up." The blonde spoke angrily "You're always supporting other people, right? Always listening to everyone and giving your advice, but you never talk about yourself."

"I have talked about my past." Blake defended herself.

"Actually, you haven't. All we know is that you were with the White Fang."

The faunus frowned.

"I don't mean to hurt anyone, Yang. There are some things about me that only I can deal with. They're my problem to fix." She refuted with determination.

"I understand where you're coming from. You don't need to share anything with me." Yang got up "But some of those problems affected Weiss when Adam Taurus came to her house and threatened her family. You need to talk to her."

Blake looked down at her lap, her eyes sad. She knew her friend was right, but she didn't want Weiss, of all people, to know the complete truth about her past.

"You like her, right?" Yang asked, although it sounded more like an affirmation than a question.

"…Yes." Blake smirked "That's a lot of ammunition for your use."

"Don't worry. I had enough ammo already." The blonde smiled "I know I tease you two a lot, but it's not out of malice. You would be great together."

"Maybe in the future. I don't want anything like that right now." The faunus stated.

Yang nodded, understanding exactly what her friend meant. There was a dark time ahead of them, and they had no idea what might happen to any of them.

"Let's go back to the dormitory. We need to catch some z's." She suggested "Don't try to sleep in Weiss' bed, though. I'll be watching."

Blake rolled her eyes, already regretting her honesty.

-x-

"Ozpin? Team RWBY is here to see you."

The headmaster looked up from his paperwork and nodded at Glynda.

"Let them in, and then go do some menial task that holds little significance to anyone but you." He requested.

The assistant glared at him before opening the office's door.

"I'll be checking the safety of the training grounds if you need me." She said.

"Good job! You're doing exactly what I suggested."

The woman groaned angrily and then stormed out of the room, passing by the students, who looked at her confusedly.

"Did something happen, professor?" Weiss asked worryingly as they got in the room.

"Oh, nothing. You know how it goes with women." Ozpin said, shrugging.

The four girls looked at him oddly.

"Moving on…" Ruby spoke slowly "I'll call my mother-"

"Wait!"

Ozpin got up from his chair and raised his hand up.

"Summer Rose, I summon you!"

The five of them stood still, waiting in silence. After a few minutes of nothing happening, the headmaster sighed and sat down in defeat.

"Call your mom, then. I think her sense of humor died with her body." He muttered.

Ruby grinned before calling her mother, who appeared in a matter of seconds. She looked around the office, and Ozpin could swear there was a spark of cruel amusement in her eyes.

"I presume you've made your decision." She said to the girls.

"Yes." Ruby nodded "We're going to fight against the Dark at your command."

"What's our first mission?" Yang asked anxiously.

Summer looked at the headmaster, who continued to be silent. He looked back at the ghost and frowned.

"What?" He asked "I don't know what their mission is."

"You stupid-" Summer paused, controlling her anger admirably "You're going to the Emerald Forest."

"Why?" Yang questioned.

Ozpin got up and gestured with his arms, finally letting go of his humorous attitude.

"The Emerald Forest was the place where, thousands of years ago, the Dark was defeated and put to sleep." He explained "Dust was used to strike against it, and it had not expected such a powerful offensive. It was damaged badly, so much that we thought it was no more."

"You're sending us directly to it." Blake frowned "_That's_ our first mission?"

The headmaster shook his head.

"The Dark doesn't take a physical form lightly. The only reason we could damage it last time was because it became overconfident and decided to destroy us by itself." He told "I'm sure it won't make this mistake again, at least not so soon. It probably moved away and disappeared when it woke up."

"So why sent us there?" Weiss asked "Is there something to gain in this mission?"

"This is primarily a reconnaissance mission. Although the Dark has moved, it may have left some forces behind. We need to know if there is anything close that may threaten Beacon." Summer explained "Should you encounter anything too difficult to handle, go right back here, and we'll mount a larger force to fight against it."

"That's a good plan. We need to secure our main base of operations, or everything could be lost before we even started." Blake recognized.

The ghost nodded.

"That's all there is to know. You'll leave immediately. There's no time to lose."

Summer disappeared. Ozpin shook his head.

"Always flashy, that woman." He muttered, before looking at his students "Well, you heard her. Better leave now."

"Alright. We'll gather supplies and then go to the Emerald Forest." Ruby decided.

The girls started to leave the office, but stopped when Ozpin yelled.

"Miss Schnee." He called "May I speak to you for a moment?"

Weiss looked at her teammates before returning to the office. She looked at the headmaster anxiously, not knowing what to expect. Much to her relief, he smiled warmly at her.

"I know about what happened between you and your father." Ozpin said "Wade Schnee is a… difficult man to deal with, to put it mildly. I don't know the specifics, but from what I can gather, something happened regarding his views on the faunus."

"That's right." Weiss answered "He was furious when he discovered Blake was a faunus. When I defended her, his wrath also turned to me."

"Do you have any plans about contacting him?"

The dust user frowned and shook her head firmly.

"Not unless he changes his ways."

"Until that happens, you have my full support." Ozpin declared "If you need money or a place to stay, I'll provide without a second thought.

"Thank you, professor." Weiss said. She felt strange, hearing such a thing and not being angry at who spoke it. In the past, she would have been furious, but right now she was only thankful.

Ozpin nodded towards the door.

"Go catch up to your friends." He said "And take care."

-x-

_"And here we are, in the Beacon Academy's campus."_

_ A reporter stood in front of the school, standing a little ways from the main entrance, while facing a camera and speaking into a microphone._

_ "Yesterday, the headmaster Ozpin, a man respected inside and outside Vale, called for a large press conference." The woman narrated "What seemed to be a horrible, dark announcement turned out to be what sounded like a madman's raving. He spoke of things like a Grimm mastermind and what is practically the end of the world."_

_ The reporter rolled her eyes in a very noticeable way. She knew it was unprofessional, but was sure nobody would actually mind._

_ "We're here to interview some students to find out what they think about that embarrassing event." She announced "Is the headmaster's lunacy only recent, or has it always affected his school?"_

_ The door opened and the reporter looked back. The students passed by her, but the crew quickly interject them._

_ "Hello!" The reporter yelled "What do you think of headmaster Ozpin's announcement yesterday?"_

_ Yang frowned and stared directly at the reporter._

_ "The only thing I have an opinion about is you, and you probably don't wanna hear it." She said "You do know everyone is having classes right now, right? Didn't you go to school?"_

_ The reporter blinked, speechless. However, a buzz on her ear and a quick message from her communication device alerted her that maybe there was something good to gather from these students._

_ "Your friend is Weiss Schnee." She realized "Miss Schnee, how do you feel after being disowned by your father?"_

_ The white-haired girl looked at the woman in shock, not knowing what to say. Yang gritted her teeth and pointed her finger at the reporter._

_ "Listen here, bitch!" She yelled "Either you let us go, or I smash your camera right here and now!"_

_ The reporter gulped and nodded at her crew. They stepped aside, letting the young team pass. When they were gone, the camera went back to the woman, who smiled faintly. This was priceless material._

_ "You saw it here first, dear viewers. From the mouth of one of Ozpin's students, a clear, violent threat. It seems the headmaster has affected the mind of many young people." She said "We will be back in a few hours to interview more students and perhaps even the man himself."_

"Father?"

Wade looked back and found his daughter looking at him hesitantly. She looked about ready to flee in a moment's notice.

"Was that Weiss on the news?" She asked carefully.

"… Yes." The president answered, turning the television off.

"Did she say anything?"

Wade looked at her firmly.

"She's not your sister anymore. I don't want you speaking of her to me or anyone else." He ordered "Go back to your studies. And don't even think about leaving them."

Winter gulped and nodded. Mr. Schnee passed by her in a quick pace, probably late for a business matter.

The youngest daughter reached for the remote, but stopped, her hand shaking. She knew nothing good would come out of rebelling against her father and she had the marks to prove it.

_I understand now, sister. You got these scars much earlier than I did, right?_

Winter shook her head and went back running to her room.

_I'm so sorry._

-x-

It writhed on the ground, its limbs smashing against the dirt as fire spurted from its mouth.

_Kill. Want._

It felt the presence in its mind, telling it not to act on instinct, at least not yet.

_Kill. Want._

The monster shrieked as the presence seemed to drill on its brain, as if punishing it.

_Wait. Wait. Wait. Obey._

The pain stopped, and it stood still, not willing to disobey its master again. However, the rage still remained, burning in its core.

_Blonde. Kill. Want. Kill. Need._

-x-

**Helloooo. Sorry for the lack of action in this chapter. Don't worry, the next few will be exploding like a Michael Bay movie (except they won't be bad, but hey, you shouldn't trust the author's opinion).**

** Reviews!**

** Strategist! Thank you for reviewing! I'm not sure how old Cinder is... We don't have a canon age too, but she's probably in her mid-twentys...? I'm taking some liberties in this story, so she's younger here. All will be explained. Thank you again!**

** Ihavenoidea! There will be monochrome interaction soon, however, their characters aren't completely dependent on one another (see Blake's scene with Yang in this chapter, or Weiss' with Ruby in 12). I don't like when some fanfics completely lose their character's essence because the only thing about them is who they're shipped with, so I'm trying to strike a balance. Same thing for Yang, I feel a lot of people just turn her into the big sister or Blake's girlfriend, which is kinda lame... Well, that was a rant. Sorry xD THERE WILL BE MONOCHROME, JNPR AND ROCK'N'ROLL (maybe not the last one) DON'T HATE ME! ...Thank you for reviewing...**

** Huge buckets of gratitude for everyone who follows, favorites and reviews _Children of Summer_!**

** -Zeroan**


	16. Bloody innocence

Ozpin sat back against his chair, drinking slowly from his coffee mug. He ignored his Scroll as it buzzed incessantly. Ever since he held that press conference, the media wouldn't stop calling him, even after he made very clear that he wouldn't be indulging them with interviews.

The headmaster rubbed his temples and sighed. Years of being a professor, a job who many claimed to be stressful, had lured him into a false sense of security and peace. In his heart, he had always known the Dark would return, but he had chosen to ignore it. Now he paid the price, as he watched his own students march into danger with no real understanding of what was at stake.

He groaned as the phone buzzed again. In a sudden move, he snatched it from the desk to turn it off, but stopped that course of action when he noticed who was calling him.

"James Ironwood." He said, answering the Scroll "I suppose you don't want an interview."

"No." The general answered, his tone serious, as it always was "I want you to explain this madness to me, directly."

"Did you watch the press conference?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't need to explain anything more. Honestly, it's simple." Ozpin rolled his eyes "Big bad monster from ancient ages. Semi-immortal headmaster. Big bad monster is back. Semi-immortal headmaster is not just a headmaster anymore."

"Of course not. He's a lunatic too." Ironwood retorted, clear frustration in his tone of voice.

Ozpin shook his head as he spun his cup with his other hand. He knew his tale was a difficult one to believe and had not even doubted if people would call him crazy, but this man was important. He needed to be convinced.

"You have known me for thirty years, James. We studied together in my school." The headmaster frowned "Well, you studied, I just pretended to, but that's beside the point. You are perhaps the person who knows me the best in all of Remnant."

"Apparently that's not enough."

"I know I am eccentric, and a difficult person to deal with. The things I say, the way I act…" Ozpin smirked "But I was never crazy enough to call a press conference, formulate a tale of the end of the world, ruin my reputation and send students into unwarranted danger."

The other end of the call was silent for a few seconds as the professor waited anxiously for his friend's answer.

"Even if I believed you, Ozpin, do you think I could mobilize an army to help you?" Ironwood said "Sorry, my friend, but you don't have any proof. Should anything happen, you will have my full support, but until then… You're on your own."

Ozpin put his Scroll down and turned it off. He closed his eyes, knowing what would happen without the general's help. His support would come too late.

The headmaster looked through the windows in his office. He could see the Emerald Forest in the distance, and that brought him a little hope.

_I'm not on my own, James_.

-x-

The team walked through the forest. Ruby was in the lead, holding her scythe in her arms while looking around confusedly. Yang was a few meters behind her, her arms behind her head, just relaxing. Weiss walked with her chin held high, as if she knew exactly where they needed to go. Blake was beside her, just paying attention to any possible danger.

"Sis?" Yang called.

"What?!" Ruby blurted out, spinning around to face the blonde "Is it monsters?!"

"… No." The older sister answered amusedly "Do you have any idea where we need to go?"

"Of course I…" The redhead's voice dropped as she realized she actually had no idea "I don't know."

Weiss groaned, annoyed at her leader's lack of forethought.

"You didn't ask your mother?" She complained "That's a very wide gap in our plan."

"She didn't say anything either." Blake noted "Maybe you should call her, Ruby."

The redhead nodded and called for her mother, who appeared in front of them in a few seconds.

"I just called the attention of every Grimm in a square kilometer." Summer warned "What do you need?"

"We have no idea where to go." Yang admitted.

"Head north. You will know the place when you arrive. There's no mistaking it." The woman frowned "There's Grimm ahead. Prepare yourselves."

The girls started to ready their weapons, but before they could form a defensive pattern, Ruby jumped through her mother and ran ahead.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled, following her "Are you crazy?"

Weiss shook her head and looked at Summer.

"Please tell me she didn't inherit her _doltness_?"

The ghost raised an eyebrow, not knowing how to answer that.

Ruby continued running, noticing the black figures in the distance. She smirked and started sliding, bringing her scythe low. The blade cut many of the Boarbatusks in half.

The redhead spun around, halting her momentum, and faced the other beasts. There was a mixture of Boarbatusks and Beowolves, nothing too dangerous, but she was happy to find at least a minor challenge.

She jumped and shot at the wolves, removing a great number of them before they could attack. The Boarbatusks sped toward her, trying to impale her with their tusks, but she dodged expertly while taking them out with precise cuts.

Ruby looked at the remaining Grimm, ready to bolt towards and kill them, but they fell to the ground before she could do so. Yang stood behind them, her fists flaming as she glared at her sister.

"What did you do that for?" She asked.

The redhead shrugged.

"It was a fun, easy exercise." Ruby said "It's not like they're dangerous to someone like us."

"That's no excuse." Yang frowned "I know you're capable, but we can't take unnecessary risks. What if there's something bigger ahead, and you're too tired to help?"

The leader pouted, knowing her sister was right. Her face brightened up when she looked behind the brawler.

"Mother!" She called, smiling proudly "Did you see me take care of these Grimm?"

"I saw a reckless little girl not thinking clearly about her mission." Summer responded in a stern tone of voice "This is not a game, Rose, so don't treat it like one."

Ruby's shoulder slumped as her mother disappeared. She looked at her teammates before turning her back to them and starting to walk.

"That was cold." Yang muttered, now understanding Ruby's behavior "She just wanted to show she was strong."

"Summer already knows that." Blake noted "If she didn't, she wouldn't have chosen Ruby for the job."

"Nepotism exists." Weiss reminded, before shaking her head "I think there's something more important right now."

Yang raised an eyebrow while looking at the dust user, who smirked.

"Let's turn your sister north before she arrives in Vale."

-x-

JNPR sat awkwardly at the school cafeteria. They were eating their meals in silence, occasionally looking ahead, only to find the vacant spots of team RWBY. Jaune poked at his food with a fork, like his hunger had been replaced with boredom.

"This sucks." He complained "I thought Nora was enough to make lunch exciting."

"It's pretty weird." Pyrrha agreed "It's not like they even make so much noise. Ruby is fun, but she doesn't speak much. Weiss just talks like a normal person, except when she is angry. Blake doesn't speak."

"I guess Yang is the one who really turns our breaks into parties." Jaune concluded "Where are they, anyway? They said they were leaving for a few days, but didn't explain the reason."

"It's probably a mission." The redhead said slowly.

The two shared a look, both of them having a feeling there was something else behind their friend's absence.

Meanwhile, Nora was emptying an entire bottle of syrup on her meal. She waited for the object to be taken away from her at any moment, but strangely enough, that didn't happen. She looked to her side, seeing Ren staring at his food silently.

The pink-headed girl frowned. She didn't actually like syrup that much; she only did that because she wanted to draw her partner's attention. In fact, that was the reason for most of her crazy actions.

"Ren?" Nora called "I might have a syrup overdose."

The boy looked up and stared at her plate for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Okay." He said.

"Ren!" The girl exclaimed angrily "What's wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just thinking about Ozpin." He explained.

That caught the attention of his other teammates. Ren looked between them and Nora and sighed.

"I don't think he's crazy." He admitted "His aura was really dark at that press conference. Unless he is the best actor in the world, he really meant his words."

"That's absurd." Pyrrha said "There can't be a Grimm overlord. Right?" She looked at her friends, as if searching for agreement.

"It's a pretty farfetched story, that's for sure. But true histories are not always simple or believable." Ren noted.

The other members of JNPR stared at him, unsure of what to think. They trusted his judgment very much, but the headmaster's statement was too hard to believe.

"If the headmaster is telling the truth…" Jaune said, connecting the dots in his head "Maybe RWBY's mission had something to do with it."

The four looked at each other, not wanting to further think about that possibility.

"I'll just eat my syrup." Nora stated, wanting to break the silence.

Ren raised an eyebrow and took the bottle from her. She crossed her arms, but smiled when he started pouring the syrup in his own meal.

"We'll have an overdose together." He decided.

-x-

A few hours later, as the sky started to darken, team RWBY decided to stop and rest for the night. They decided not to light a campfire, much to the Xiao Long sisters' annoyance, because it would draw attention they didn't want.

They had made considerable progress to the north, but they still didn't know how far their destination was. They had refrained from calling Summer again, the group's justification being that it would attract too many Grimm. They all knew, however, that Ruby didn't want to see her again anytime soon.

Yang rested against a tree and put her hands behind her head, so the wood wouldn't scratch her hair. She was tired, but not really sleepy, so she just watched as Ruby stuck her scythe against the ground and started doing maintenance on it.

"That looks complicated." The blonde commented, puzzled by the noises the weapon made.

"It's maybe a little messy. But I learned how to do this when I was seven, so it's second nature now." Ruby explained, checking Crescent Rose's blade.

"Ember Celica is much easier, I'm sure." Yang said.

The redhead smiled at her.

"It's just different. Doesn't mean it's easier to manage." She offered "Besides, it belonged to Raven. It's special to you." Ruby smiled as she lifted her weapon and spun it around "Uncle Qrow taught me how to use a scythe, so Crescent Rose is also special to me."

Yang smiled. She thought it was admirable how her sister could remain so positive even after getting shot down by her mother a few hours before.

"You should sleep." The blonde reminded "We have lots of distance to cover tomorrow."

"Yes, _moooom_." Ruby groaned.

The redhead sat beside her sister and covered herself with her red cloak. She almost looked like a cocoon that way, which made Yang chuckle.

"Good night, sis."

-x-

Weiss sat up, blinking rapidly. Her eyelids were heavy, but she fought her drowsiness as she noticed something strange.

A few meters ahead, Ruby and Yang were sleeping against the same tree. The two were huddled together, and didn't seem like they would wake up anytime soon. The once-heiress looked around, glaring at the shadows, but found no one.

She got up and started pacing around the clearing, panic rising slowly.

_Blake ran away again. It's my fault. I didn't talk to her, and she thought she was unfit for this mission._

She was about to awaken the sisters when a voice called from above.

"Weiss?" Blake whispered "What are you doing?"

Weiss looked up in confusion. The faunus was sitting on a branch some meters above the ground, staring down at her partner inquisitively.

"What are _you_ doing? Can't you sleep like a normal person would?" The dust user accused.

"Someone needed to keep watch. I entitled myself." Blake explained.

"… Warn me next time. I thought you were gone."

The brunette frowned and dropped to the ground gracefully. Weiss rolled her eyes.

"See? You didn't even hurt your ankles."

"What's wrong, Weiss?" Blake asked, ignoring her friend's annoyance.

The once-heiress crossed her arms and looked at Ruby and Yang. They looked to be deeply asleep, but there was always a possibility that the blonde was faking. Still, Weiss couldn't put this off forever.

"I wanted to talk about that night." She whispered.

"Oh. Okay." Blake said "Let's sit down."

The two sat down in front of each other, away from their teammates so they wouldn't wake up. The brunette avoided looking at her partner, not sure how to approach this subject.

"What do you want to talk about, exactly?" She asked slowly.

"Well…" Weiss took a deep breath "I wanted to say I'm very sorry for how you were treated in my house. You had to listen to my father say horrible things about the faunus, but still you stayed, because I asked you to." The white-haired girl shook her head "I was selfish. I made you hide who you are again, even after you had been hurt in the past because of doing that. I thought my father would change his mind if he met you… But now I know not everyone can change so easily."

"I don't blame you. You only wanted to do good for both your family and me." Blake said "And… I also don't blame your father. He might have been unreasonable, but… I know he is hurting, and the only way he knows to cope is by discounting his rage on the faunus. It isn't right… But I don't condemn him for doing it."

Weiss nodded, acknowledging her friend's point of view. However, she wouldn't adopt that way of thinking.

"It's one thing to be hurting." She said "But using your hurt as an excuse for evil is another matter entirely. I don't want to condemn my father, but I'll never speak to him again unless he truly changes."

Blake thought that was for the best. If Weiss contacted her father again, it would certainly only result in more suffering. The only way their relationship would be fixed is if he wanted it to be.

"You know, Weiss, your words are really true." Blake commented "I think your father and Adam Taurus might not be so different."

"… My father is nothing like him." The once-heiress said firmly. She might be willing to stay away from her family, but she wouldn't stand for it to be compared to that monster."

"I know. Adam is the worst person I've ever met." The brunette agreed.

She looked at Weiss, halting her words. Her friend seemed very interested, but Blake shouldn't have been surprised. After all, Yang was right. Nobody really knew about her past.

"I was born in the outskirts of kingdom Vale. You might not know this, because people don't like to mention it, but there are horrible places out there. And I don't mean the wilds." Blake began "For five years, I lived in a decrepit city. It wasn't really a city, actually, just a bunch of buildings with no infrastructure or services. It was survival of the fittest."

"That sounds horrible." Weiss commented, imagining the place.

"It was. But I had a small family, just my father and mother. They weren't married, but nobody was in that place. They loved me very much." The brunette continued, trying not to show emotions "One day, when I was five, I woke up and they were gone. There was no trace of them, and nobody knew where they were. I wandered the streets alone… Until I met Adam."

She clenched her fists. Just the thought of that red-haired boy, even when he was so young, infuriated her. However, she was even angrier at herself. Looking back, she could tell associating with him was bad from the start.

"He told me he could help me find my parents. Adam was like a street lord, you know? He had many powerful friends, even as a kid. Most of all, he had this air of strength and authority around him. I had never met someone like that before, so I fell right into his talk."

"What happened then?"

"We stormed an abandoned storage room that was supposedly being used by faunus hunters, and we slew a lot of these kind of people. I didn't find my parents, but there was one person alive there. His name was Ording, and he was on the brink of death." Blake shook her head "He told me my parents had been killed. That was… true, to an extent."

The faunus paused, thinking of how to proceed. She decided that telling her story from her perspective was much easier.

"In that raid, I first used my Semblance. Adam saw potential in me, and asked me to join his group."

"What did they do?" Weiss asked, intrigued.

"They were pretty much a miniature White Fang, killing humans that had any sort of negativity towards the faunus. And after a few years, we actually joined their forces." Blake lowered her head, ashamed "And I was so happy at first, Weiss. I wanted to avenge my parents, to teach a lesson to every human who mistreated my kind. And every step of the way, Adam urged me on. He taught me to fight, to read, to think… He almost managed to transform me into him."

"I guess something changed. Something made you leave."

"When I was twelve, Adam sent me on a mission with a squad of my own to command. I thought it was great… It meant not only he saw me as capable of doing that, but the higher ups also did." The faunus's face showed disgust at that memory "We raided a house of a powerful Vale family who supposedly was dealing with faunus slavers. To this day, I haven't found out if that accusation was true. What I do know is that children can't be blamed for what their parents do."

Weiss' expression was shocked. She knew Blake had a good reason to hide her past, but this was not something she had been prepared for.

The brunette gripped the grass around her, her arms shaking.

"I killed the father, the mother, the oldest and second oldest brother, the grandfather, and three servants." Blake recounted. She would never forget their faces "When I found the younger children hiding, I told my subordinates to leave them alone. I was violent, but I knew they weren't guilty of anything."

"…They didn't listen." Weiss said.

"No. And when I told Adam, he laughed at me and said I still wasn't prepared to lead. At that moment, I noticed who he really was. Who _I_ really was. Monsters using hatred to justify unjustifiable acts." Blake frowned "I should have run away with no hesitation. Instead, I told him I wanted us to stop what we were doing. It was a… gruesome fight. I managed to escape with my life, but only because he didn't go all out."

"So… If you were twelve, that means you spent five years all alone until coming to Beacon?" Weiss realized.

"Pretty much. I visited my birthplace first, and I found Ording there. He was very shocked when he realized who I was." The faunus shook her head "He had faked his injuries. Actually, the whole raid had been faked. The guards were bribed, although they didn't know they were going to die, of course. It was all planned by Adam."

"So your parents didn't die?" The once-heiress asked hopefully.

Blake's somber face was enough to answer her question.

"Adam killed them so I would join him. He just wanted a new recruit, and I was easy prey."

Weiss reached forward and hugged her friend. Blake smiled faintly, accepting the hug. She was sad about her parents, but she didn't feel the need to cry. She only had a few small memories of them, and though they were precious, she held many others that carried more weight in her mind.

"At least you managed to stay away from him. You changed for the better all by yourself." Weiss noted.

"Did I?" Blake retreated from the hug and stared at the palm of her hands "I'm not sure I did. I shed so much blood, felt so much rage… I thought those things were gone with Adam. But when I saw him again… They were there. They never left me." She felt tears come to her eyes, but was too shaken up to wipe them before they fell "I-I'm a monster, Weiss. I was reduced into everything I despise that night. So much hatred… I deserved what I got in the end. Your father was right about me."

Weiss' look of pity turned into a glare. She raised her hand and struck her friend in the head. Blake blinked and looked at her partner, confused and scared.

"You are _not_ a monster, Blake Belladonna." The white-haired girl seethed "And most of all, you are not a self-loathing insecure girl. So instead of crying and condemning yourself… Get yourself together and don't be those things!"

Blake smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Weiss. Maybe I needed this conversation even more than you did." She realized "You're the best partner ever."

"D-don't get emotional." Weiss said, her face reddening "Just go up to your tree and be a good watch-cat."

"Hmm… I think not. I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I'll sleep on the ground."

Blake moved to the tree Weiss had been sleeping against and rested against it. She looked at her partner and winked. The once-heiress's eyes widened and she backed away quickly, until she found another tree far away from the faunus.

The brunette chuckled to herself. She might not be ready to reveal her feelings about Weiss to her, but that didn't mean she couldn't mess with her. With that thought, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

-x-

_Move._

_ Run._

_ Avoid scouts._

_ Run._

_ Dig._

_ Attack._

-x-

The next morning, the team resumed their journey through the forest. They didn't notice any scene in scenery, just the same trees and grass, but they were sure they were heading north like Summer had told them to.

This day, they were noticeably more happy. Well, Ruby was quieter, and Yang still was just walking without much worry, but Weiss and Blake had been chatting very frequently.

"So lion faunus are more aggressive, but tigers are quicker?" The once-heiress asked.

"Yes… But don't take these as absolutes. They're like any other stereotypes, but with actual biology behind them." Blake warned "Some faunus are really sensitive about these things. I don't really care. I like fish anyway, so I don't mind if people offer it to me because I'm a cat faunus."

"But if they're true scientific facts, why do some faunus deny them?" Weiss wondered "Maybe they're just insecure?"

Yang groaned and looked back at her teammates.

"I preferred when you were arguing heatedly about faunus. It was much more exciting than listening to this moral-science crap." She complained.

"Too bad, Xiao Long. Some people like to have intelligent conversations that don't involve fighting or sex." Weiss retorted.

"I never mentioned sex." Yang stated, opening a devilish smile.

The dust user noticed she had jumped to conclusions and embarrassed herself in the process. She looked to her partner for help, but Blake simply winked at her, which made the white-haired girl look away immediately.

"Wow!" Ruby exclaimed, stopping all of a sudden "Look at _that_!"

The girls rushed to their leader's side and gasped. In front of them, a huge area of the forest was devastated. The trees were missing, and the ground caved down, as if long ago this had been a crater. Most disturbing, however, was the dark colored sole there.

"I guess this is it." Yang said.

"It would appear so." Blake said, examining the area "The ground is almost black. This must be an effect of the Dark's sleeping here."

"Wouldn't someone notice someplace like this and investigate?" The blonde wondered.

"I'm sure they did, but they didn't find anything. Summer said the Dark rarely took physical form…" The faunus spoke, slowly coming to an explanation "If the Dark reappeared physically after its defeat, someone would notice right away. So it must have rested in whatever form it takes when it's not material."

"The Dark is a manifestation of our most negative attributes."

The four girls looked back, finding Summer there, floating still.

"Hatred, fear, jealousy, greed…" The ghost said "That's the Dark's essence. In a way, it is a spirit like me, except its emotions are so powerful they can affect the physical world. That's why it can create Grimm and even hurt people."

"Wait… If it can hurt us while being a spirit…" Weiss started.

"It is not invincible." Summer interrupted "In order to do those things, it has to become physical. Because of that, the warriors of the past could defeat it. Unfortunately, they didn't have as much information as we do, so they didn't manage to kill the Dark."

The team seemed relieved at that revelation. Summer shook her head. They still didn't understand the full power of their enemy.

"So, we are here." Ruby spoke up, looking at the devastation "I don't see any Grimm."

"That is odd… Wait…" Summer paused "I can feel one. Prepare yourselves, it's-"

Suddenly, Yang was knocked away. She yelled as she rolled down the semi-crater, and when she stopped, she looked up and found her enemy: the same humanoid Grimm that had attacked Ruby the night Blake had ran away.

The blonde stood up and punched the monster, which growled and took the hit. It then struck back, narrowly missing the girl's face with its claws. The brawler jumped back, surprised at the Grimm's resilience. She would need to be more careful with her hits, or it would quickly overpower her.

Yang stepped back as she fired shots from Ember Celica. The creature tanked the rounds, suffering little damage from them. In fact, the attacks only seemed to anger it, giving it more power as it tried to cut her human opponent.

"I wouldn't mind some help!" The blonde yelled.

The monster stumbled forward as a blast of fire struck its back. Weiss stood in the upper edge of the crater, aiming carefully with her glyphs. Blake was sliding down, her eyes focused on the new enemy.

The faunus jumped, taking all the momentum of her slide in that movement, and landed of the Grimm's back. She lifted her arms, one hand wielding Gambol Shroud while the other held its dangerous sheath. The brunette brought them down, driving the blades into the monster's flesh.

The Grimm roared, standing upright as it breathed fire. Blake backed her face away from the heat, still holding on to her weapons. The creature shouted once more and spun wildly. The faunus yelled as she was thrown away, taking her blades with her, and hit the ground painfully.

Weiss swore quietly, sending more blasts down to the monster. However, it was not shaken. The first attack had taken it by surprise, but now it didn't care at all about these fires. The once-heiress stopped firing and slid down until she was beside Blake.

"Step away!" She ordered, pointing Myrtenaster against the Grimm.

She knew that, since Blake's attack had failed, hers would probably result in the same way. The once-heiress was the weakest of the team physically, and her weapon was not designed to hurt a creature this resistant. However, she had to at least slow down this Grimm, or Blake would be dead.

Much to her surprise, the monster didn't spare a single glance to Weiss. It looked at Yang against and charged. The blonde yelled and struck against it with her fists, trying to knock it back. The attempt was successful, but it only stopped the creature for a few seconds.

Luckily, a red blur passed right by Yang at that moment. Ruby appeared out of thin air, surrounded by rose petals, and jumped towards the Grimm. She spun in midair, bringing her scythe against its neck.

At that velocity, this maneuver would have cut off any Grimm's head off. However, this one was special: it resisted, but was still dragged to the ground with tremendous force.

It roared painfully, reaching with its arms, trying to claw at Ruby while she was above it. The girl avoided the attempts, but one hand gripped her cloak. She yelled, unable to get away.

Yang stepped in and growled, her hair and fists flaming gold. She brought her fists down on the monster repeatedly, cracking its natural armor and hurting its flesh in complete fury. After a half minute, the blonde stepped back, all rage spent up.

"Is it dead?" Ruby asked, eyeing the Grimm suspiciously.

"If it isn't now, it never will be." Yang stated.

The two nodded and went to check on her teammates. Blake's aura had softened her fall, so she was standing up now. Weiss was completely unhurt.

"That was exciting." The faunus deadpanned.

"What _was_ that thing?" Weiss asked, bewildered.

Summer appeared beside the corpse. She stared at it without blinking.

"Mother?" Ruby called "Are you okay?"

The woman looked back at the girls.

"That was a primal Grimm." She explained "A human recently transformed into a monster. This is how every one of them used to be ages ago."

"I can see why people struggled so much. It's definitely tougher than the regular Beowolf." Yang stated "And they really don't like blondes. Seriously, what a judgmental bastard."

"I think this one chose you as prey after you drove it off last time." Summer theorized "It's dead now, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"Are there more of those?" Blake asked.

Summer looked around and frowned.

"I can't feel anything…" Her eyes sparked with realization "This is bad. I need to warn Ozpin."

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"The Grimm have left Emerald Forest."

Summer disappeared, leaving the girls in a dazed state. Ruby was the first one to realize the meaning behind her mother's words.

"We need to defend Beacon!" She yelled, looking at her teammates with determination.

-x-

**Hello! Reviews, reviews!**

** Lojzek! There probably will be some more reporter scenes ahead... And it's probable that no character in the story will be happy about that xD Thank you for reviewing!**

** ! YES MORE FAVS MORE FOLLOWS! Thank you for the compliments, I hope you'll continuing to enjoy the humor. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Strategist! I hope this chapter answered some of your questions about the Dark. I am using a 'history forgotten' logic here. That means that pretty much everyone forgot about the Dark, including whoever narrated the opening of the show, so they just assume the Grimm always existed in Remnant. I cannot explain right now how the Dark came to be, but it (probably) will be explained late in the story. The Dark doesn't have a specific reason to kill humans or faunus; it is ruled by its own negative emotions that drive it and the Grimm to hunt them. Dust and its uses were discovered just like any other natural resource: probably an accident, or stroke of luck. And while it is powerful, the true reason it enabled people to defeat the Dark was the hope it gave them. Wow, that was a lot of answers. If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask! Seriously, I want to make anything confusing about this story very clear! Thank you for reviewing!**

** Ihavenoidea! I don't have any plans for Neo to appear, but she's such a blank slate in the show right now that it's possible I'll put her in (with no great importance, of course). In fact, there are some characters that won't be in the story at all. Mercury and Emerald, Cinder's 'friends', won't appear, because I don't know what their purpose in the show is, and also because they just wouldn't fit into the storyline. Team SSSN (Sun and Neptune) won't be in the story, and neither will CFVY (Coco and Velvet). These won't be in because there's no reason for them to appear. Also, I think it's pretty much confirmed that the woman who saved Yang in the train was Raven Branwen, and we don't know who she is exactly. Since I named Yang's mother Raven here (which already makes me dread the possibility that she actually isn't her mother in the show), she won't appear too. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Thanks, everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed _Children of Summer_! Next chapter will be a bloody revolution (relevant reference).**

** -Zeroan**


	17. When the moon is gone

"Nooo… Pyrrha, please, I don't wanna go outside…" Jaune groaned.

The redhead scoffed as she dragged her partner outside of the school. She descended the stairs, shoved him forward and then pointed her hand at what was in front of them.

"Why not, Jaune?" She asked cheerfully "The sky is clear, the sun is shining… And it's our first free weekend since the start of the semester… Don't you wanna have some fun?"

Jaune scratched his head while looking at the campus. Many students were relaxing, chatting with each other, or even sparring. The scene did look very inviting now that he examined it closely.

"I guess it could be fun." He admitted grudgingly "But I still haven't discovered my Semblance, Pyrrha. I need to train, or else it'll never appear."

"Not today!" Pyrrha decided, glaring at her friend "You have all the time in the world to discover your Semblance. Today, we're going to relax… Just you and me. Okay?"

"Okay. But shouldn't we invite Ren and Nora? They deserve to have fun too!" Jaune pointed out.

Pyrrha resisted the outburst of rage she wanted to unleash on her partner right now. While she admired his loyalty to his friends, sometimes he was just too dense…

"They had some other things to do." The redhead lied on the spot "Now, let's have fun-"

She stopped talking when the ground started to rumble. The champion looked down, and she could swear there was an earthquake going on. Jaune did the same thing, nervous. He had never felt something like this before.

Then, all of a sudden, the rumbling stopped.

"What just happened?" Jaune asked, scared.

Pyrrha shook her head, not knowing the answer.

And then a hole appeared in the middle of the campus's ground, sending an explosion of dirt and stone upward. The students screamed, backing away from the weird phenomenon.

Then, from the hole, Grimm started to jump out. There were many of small port, like Beowolves and Boarbatusks, but also some bigger, more dangerous ones: Death Claws and King Taijitus.

Some of the students didn't even have a chance. They were swarmed by the monsters and weren't able to formulate a plan. The snakes struck down, gobbling up some of the young warriors effortlessly, while the Death Claws impaled them with their tails.

"Pyrrha." Jaune muttered, horrified.

"We- we need to get help! Let's warn the professors-" The redhead stammered in panic.

The blonde unsheathed his sword and glared at the Grimm swarm.

"No." He decided "We're saving whoever we can." He looked at his partner "You're with me?"

Pyrrha stared at him, slowly gathering her courage. She prepared her weapon and shield and nodded.

"I'm with you. Let's go!"

-x-

Ozpin jumped up from his chair, surprised by the loud noise that came from outside the school. He looked through the office's windows and his eyes widened in horror: somehow, Grimm had snuck up on the academy grounds and were attacking the students.

"Damnit!" He yelled, making for the door, before someone appeared in front of it.

"Ozpin." Summer said, and then looked through the window "I was too late. The Grimm from the Emerald Forest are all gone. I presume the Dark gathered them and send them to attack Beacon."

"Of course It did! Now, I need to save my students!" The headmaster retorted angrily.

Summer reached a hand forward. Even though she couldn't really stop him, she hoped that gesture would draw his attention.

"You can't go outside." She warned "You can't die. We need someone who knows about the Dark, and you're that person."

"Are you saying I should let this massacre happen?" Ozpin's face darkened "You may have suffered a lot, Summer, but you have no right to dictate other people's fates."

He walked through her, his steps heavy and quick.

-x-

Weiss, Blake and Yang ran through the Emerald Forest, panting with exhaustion. They had been in that pace for almost three hours now, but they couldn't stop. Lives were at risk right now.

They reached the forest's border with Beacon. There was a narrow stair pathway that led up to the school, and they could already hear the distant noise of battle coming from their home.

"We're too late." Weiss said somberly.

"That's not true!" Yang refuted "Do you hear that? They're still fighting. We can make a difference!"

The three nodded and started to run up the steps. Halfway through the climb, a red blur stopped a few meters ahead of them. Ruby looked at them, her face serious.

"They didn't attack Vale. All the Grimm are focused on Beacon." She told "The professors and students are fighting in the campus."

She turned and starter running up the path. The rest of the team followed her, their hearts beating quickly in their chests.

-x-

Ozpin stormed through the school's front doors and looked at the battle. His eyes jumped from one conflict to another, his mind racing. There was no way to unite the students in this chaos. They would have to do their best to stay alive on their own. The most he could do to help was join the fray.

The headmaster threw his glasses on the ground and closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he opened them again, a spark of determination burning in them. He jumped forward, and his aura seemed to manifest around him in a bright white color.

He smashed against a mass of Beowolves, who screamed in pain and fell to the ground, dismantling into smoke. He threw his hands forward, projecting the air in front of him against another group of the beasts, who suffered the same fate.

His Semblance had no effect in combat, so he had learned to fight with what everyone had: Aura. Some people had almost none; some were born with an affinity to control it. His case was different: it had taken centuries to master his art, and the results were undoubtedly worth the time.

The headmaster raised his head, his fists glowing with power. His expression was dark and foreboding.

"Welcome back, old enemy." He muttered "I hope you forgot about me."

-x-

"Weiss!" Ruby called as she neared the last step "Shoot me forward!"

The once-heiress pointed her hand at her leader, forming a glyph behind her. The energy-formation glowed bright and propelled the redhead forward.

Ruby flew through the air, looking down at the battle happening in the campus. She narrowed her eyes, deciding where she was needed. With a yell, she pointed her weapon upward and fired, the recoil sending her back down in extreme speed.

The redhead landed on the back of a Death Claw, shattering its natural armor a bit. She shouted and struck the damaged spot with Crescent Rose's blade, piercing into the monster's flesh. The Grimm shrieked and fell lifelessly.

Ruby looked around, locating a group of students surrounded by Kind Taijitus. She nodded and ran forward with her Semblance. The leader jumped and spun, cutting the heads of two of them with her accelerated momentum. The students took the opportunity and ran, facing the rest of the snakes in a more advantageous position.

"Ruby!"

She looked back and found the source of the voice: Jaune was back-to-back with Pyrrha, fending off Beowolves as they neared them.

"Are you guys okay?" Ruby yelled.

"We're fine!" Pyrrha shouted back "We don't know we're Ren and Nora are!"

"I'll find them! Take care!"

The younger redhead disappeared in an explosion of petals, determined to find her missing friends.

-x-

Weiss, Blake and Yang ran past the Grimm, slaying those close to them. The white-haired girl had decided that they needed a smarter approach to the battle. If they could cut off the Grimm's entrance to the school, the monsters would finally fall.

They finally stopped when they neared the hole in the ground. Grimm were jumping out of it in infrequent intervals, but their numbers didn't seem to lower.

"How do hell do we take care of this?" Yang yelled.

"We can't close it…" Blake started.

Weiss shook her head and took a rash decision. She aimed Myrtenaster down the hole and shot a barrage of fire into it. Black smoke from deceased beasts rose from it. The once-heiress smirked, satisfied that her plan had worked. It wasn't final, but at least no more reinforcements would come.

_Protect entrance_.

The Grimm around the hole turned their attention to the three girls immediately. Yang gulped.

"I know it's weird coming from me of all people, but… That was really rash, Weiss."

"It's better than letting more come out of the hole." The once-heiress retorted "Defend me while I continue doing this!"

Blake nodded and moved away from their friends.

"Stay close to Weiss!" She shouted to Yang.

"You need help!" The blonde protested.

"Don't worry." The faunus smirked "I've gotten myself together."

She lowered her blades and closed her eyes, concentrating. She forced her mind to think of only one thing: Adam Taurus. The brunette felt anger and sadness, but kept it under control.

When she opened her eyes again, Grimm were surrounding her from all sides.

"Sorry. I was faking it." She half-lied, melding into the shadows.

She appeared again in front of the Beowolves, which she quickly sliced. The rest of the Grimm rushed to her, but she didn't let a single one touch her.

The faunus was surprised when a smile opened wide on her face. It had been too long since she had felt this joyful in combat.

_I've got a purpose now._ Blake realized. _I'm not letting you hurt anyone I care about._

-x-

Ozpin looked at the battlefield again. Black smoke rose around him, but still he knew there were many opponents to face. He only hoped he was making enough of a difference.

He narrowed his eyes when he spotted a strange girl in the middle of the fighting. She was small, almost child-like, had orange hair and wore a green dress unfit for war. The headmaster rushed to her side.

"Hey!" He called "This is no place for a child. You need to get out of here."

She looked at him and inclined her head to the side. Then, her eyes brightened, as if realization had hit her.

"Oh, don't worry, professor Ozpin!" She smiled "I am combat-ready!"

She threw her hands forward, firing a green laser from each one. It cut through a row of Grimm, freeing a group of students who were previously trapped with no hope of salvation. They blinked and looked at the orange-haired girl, who waved happily.

"…Do you know James Ironwood?" Ozpin asked.

"That's my father!" She said "I'm Penny, by the way! Are we friends, Ozpin?"

The headmaster's eyebrows rose.

"You might want to ask for James' approval first."

-x-

"I'm firing again!" Weiss shouted.

Yang grunted, striking at a Boarbatusk that had ignored Blake and rushed towards them. The blonde looked back at her teammate, rolling her eyes.

"You don't need to warn me every time!" She said "Just do it."

"It's just for safety reasons." Weiss frowned "Don't you dare complain if you catch on fire."

"Yeah, like that would ever-" Yang's eyes widened "Behind you!"

The once-heiress looked at the hole and screamed as a larger Grimm jumped out. It was humanoid-looking, with a lean, masculine form. Its hair was a dark shade of green, and it wore a permanent grin on its face. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to be damaged by Weiss' attacks, the only marks of being small burns on its flesh.

"It's a primal!" The white-haired girl warned.

"I'll take care of it!" Yang yelled "Just do what you were doing before!"

The blonde jumped towards the beast and punched it, knocking it away from her friend. She lost her balance, however, not having expected her opponent to be so easy to hurt.

_The other one would have taken that punch in stride._ Yang thought. _They're different._

The brawler's theory was confirmed when the Grimm got up and shoved a hand forward. Yang blinked, confused at that action, but was suddenly knocked to the ground when the wind smashed against her front.

She started to get up, but was downed again when the monster repeated the action. The blonde's eyes sparked with realization.

_Power over the wind. It has a Semblance._

The Grimm jumped forward, his speed augmented as the wind pushed against his back. It extended a claw, which Yang avoided at the last second by rolling to the side.

She jumped up and fired at her enemy with Ember Celica. The monster roared as it fell, his trajectory ruined by the force of the blasts. Yang rushed to it, downing a punching with all her might.

However, her attack met with the ground when the Grimm moved to the side with a gust of wind. The blonde didn't lose track of him, continuing her offensive, but the creature avoided all her attacks with the aid of its Semblance.

The monster kicked her in the chest, knocking her back several meters. She panted, looking at the Grimm with hatred.

"You are _dead_!" Yang exclaimed before jumping back towards the primal.

-x-

Jaune stabbed a Boarbatusk and kicked it away as it faded into smoke. He looked around, relieved that no more Grimm were nearing him. He looked back up his shoulder, hearing Pyrrha's heavy breathing.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Sure." The redhead panted "I'm just tired."

Jaune looked at some Taijitu fangs on the ground in front of his partner and gasped. Had she been slaying those bigger Grimm all by herself and he didn't even notice?

"I don't think you can fight anymore, Pyrrha. You need to rest." Jaune decided.

"No!" Pyrrha refuted, trying to stabilize her breathing "I'm fine!"

She stepped forward, slicing her sword towards a Death Claw. The monster shrieked as his eyes were struck, but it continued alive. Pyrrha sliced again, but the Grimm avoided her blade.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune called.

The redhead didn't listen, however. She took a defensive stance in front of the scorpion, even though she would probably fall in exhaustion anytime now.

_You can do it. You trained all your life for this._ She thought. _Don't back down. Always win…_

She blinked tiredly, not noticing as the monster's tail rose above her. Jaune shouted in panic and extended a hand, trying to warn his friend.

The tail fell on her, and she should have been impaled right then and there. However, a white aura surrounded her, and the sting broke with a loud noise when it struck against it. The monster shrieked in pained surprise and retreated.

Jaune felt a tingling sensation in his entire body. He blinked confusedly, and when he lowered his hand, the aura around Pyrrha faded. The redhead looked back at her partner, a tired smile on her face.

"Your Semblance. It's…"

She fell to the ground, not able to stand up anymore. Jaune shouted and rushed to her side, kneeling down beside her. She was completely knocked out. He stood up again and prepared to fight against the Death Claw, which was returning to take his vengeance.

However, something suddenly fell on the monster's head. Nora laughed gleefully, her hammer shattering the scorpion's skull, making it fall dead and become smoke.

"The queen is back!" She yelled madly "You won't rule her castle!"

Ren appeared beside Jaune, smirking.

"Good job, Jaune." He complimented briefly.

The blonde blinked, still shaken up from Pyrrha's almost dying and his newfound power.

"Get to your positions, men!" Jaune looked up, awaken from his thoughts by Nora's shouting "Fight for your homeland! Take back what is ours!"

-x-

Blake slashed the last Grimm in half. She had attracted so many of them, and though none had landed a single hit, fighting them had left her exhausted. She looked back at Weiss, who was firing down the hole again.

The faunus smiled, relieved that her efforts had not been in vain. However, her relief disappeared when she noticed Yang far away from her best friend.

The blonde was fighting what appeared to be a primal Grimm, and it didn't seem like she was winning. The creature was moving at impossible speeds, avoiding all attacks aimed at it, while landing strikes at its opponents with precision.

As Blake observed, the primal shoved its enemy back and extended a hand forward. The air in front of it seemed to converge in a single vertical line, almost like a ridiculously small tornado which looked sharp enough to cut through any resistance it met.

The faunus's eyes widened. She saw what would happen even before the attack was released.

_I can't reach the Grimm in time. Yang is too tired to move._

Blake ran toward her friend, ignoring everything around her. She saw the air rush towards Yang, but the blonde had no strength left to dodge in time. The brunette tackled the brawler, sending her to the ground just in time to save her.

The faunus felt an intense pain and heard the sound of her weapon's sheath hitting the ground. However, the feeling was lowered as adrenaline rushed through her body.

Blake yelled savagely and jumped toward the monster, wielding Gambol Shroud over her head. The Grimm moved to the side with the wind's help, avoiding the attack easily.

However, it did not know its opponent's full arsenal. Blake appeared behind it like a shadow and stabbed it through the stomach, and then slashed upward, cutting the beast in half. It turned to smoke immediately.

"I did it." The faunus muttered "Yang, you're going to be-"

The last thing Blake saw before she hit the ground was Yang's horrified expression.

-x-

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, appearing beside her friend "What are you doing?"

"Stopping the Grimm from overwhelming us." The once-heiress answered, not taking her eyes off of the opening.

Ruby looked at the hole, frowning.

"Can't you close it with your Dust?" She asked.

"Not me. I can use all kinds of Dust, but Earth is far beyond my most practiced form of it." Weiss sighed "I could bring the school down if I tried to close this gap by myself."

She fired at the opening again. Ruby thought for a few moments before smirking confidently.

"I've got a plan." She said.

"Oh, really?" Weiss asked annoyed "Did you learn how to control Earth dust overnight?"

"Nah. It's much simpler than that."

The redhead jumped to the opening, ignoring her friend's panicked calls for her to stop. She slid down the hole, shooting in front of herself with Crescent Rose, clearing any Grimm that might stop her descend.

She stopped sliding when the tunnel ended and whistled, really impressed. Apparently, the Grimm had burrowed a tunnel all the way from the rocky walls beneath Vale until they reached Beacon. The exit leaded right into the Emerald Forest.

"Sorry. It must have been hard work…"

She aimed up at the ceiling and shot a round. Rocks fell quickly, covering the tunnel's entrance completely. A few Grimm crashed against the obstacle, but were unable to enter.

Ruby nodded and ran back to Beacon, using her Semblance so that she was able to climb back up. She jumped from the hole in an explosion of rose petals and landed gracefully on the campus.

The redhead smiled smugly and rested her scythe against her shoulders.

"All in a day's work." She said to herself.

Ruby looked around, confused as she didn't find Weiss. She figured her friend would be worried sick about her safety until she came back.

The leader noticed a small group of students gathered together in a semi-circle. She identified Yang amongst them and rushed towards her.

"Hey, did you see what I did?" Ruby yelled cheerfully "I totally ruined the Grimm's party."

She made her way into the circle and noticed the students worrisome expressions. Ruby looked at Yang, who stared back at her sister in shock before pointing ahead of them.

Weiss was kneeling on the ground, her entire body shaking as she held Blake. The faunus was unconscious, but still held her sword in her right arm.

Ruby's face darkened as she finally noticed what was wrong.

A few meters behind the faunus, Blake's left arm lay on the ground in a puddle of blood, Gambol Shroud's sheath right beside it.

-x-

**Reviews!**

** Ihavenoidea! The power of fluff compels Blake... Too bad, you know, it can't make arms invulnerable (Too soon? Yeah, way too soon). I think this chapter is overloaded with action, so to compensate... The next two chapters are overloaded with fluff. Yay. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Strategist! Again, thank you for the questions! I am very happy to answer them. I understand that concern about the primal Grimm... The thing is, the Dark isn't turning everyone it can right now, because there is already enough Grimm. It is choosing those that have valuable combat traits (like the one from this chapter. He had a powerful Semblance, so when the Dark got to him, it decided to 'enlist' him.). Besides, it _is_ Remnant. Hunters disappear for long periods of time frequently. More will be told about this process in the future, so I'm can't answer everything about it. Feel free to ask more questions! Thank you for reviewing!**

** Nevermore-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed _Children of Summer_!**

** -Zeroan**


	18. No matter the cost

Ozpin watched as his staff carried the last corpses to the school's morgue. Most people didn't even know the place had such a facility, but unfortunately, it did. The headmaster couldn't remember the last time it had been used, however.

He lowered his head somberly. The battle in the campus had lasted for only two hours, but the casualties were high, and the youth and potential of each one of the lost broke his heart. Ozpin thought he would never feel this way again, that he would be prepared for any tragedy that might happen… But he wasn't.

He felt a touch on his shoulder and he looked back. Glynda was standing close to him, her expression dark.

"We have finished counting." She told "Fifty three were killed in the battle. Forty six were injured badly, and of those, seven have died." The assistant looked at the covered bodies "How could this happen, Ozpin? We didn't even see them coming."

"It's as I said, Glynda. The Dark has returned." He looked at her seriously "I don't care if you think me a madman. But know that if you ignore what I say… This will just keep happening."

"… I believe you, headmaster." She admitted.

Ozpin nodded and began to walk towards the morgue's exit.

"Let's hope the rest of the world is as sensible as you."

-x-

_The little girl walked through the streets, her face covered in tears. She looked around, blinking slowly. This place was… strange. The buildings were all gray, but behind them there was no sky… Only endless white…_

_ There were people walking alongside her, but she couldn't identify any of them. It was as if they were just silhouettes… Travelers with no faces._

_ "Where are we going?" She asked afraid._

_ Nobody spared her a glance, much less an answer._

_ The little girl paused for a moment, wondering if she should follow everyone. But an unknown desire made her move again, blind to her own destiny._

-x-

Yang sat down on the cafeteria, setting a huge meal on the table. She looked at it hungrily and dived right in.

JNPR was sitting in front of her. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, impressed by the blonde's disposition.

"You seem… cheerful." She noted.

Yang shot her a quick glance.

"Why wouldn't I be cheerful? Look at this food. It's delicious." She said  
>"Are you supposed to be up, Pyrrha? Last time I saw you, you had been unconscious for a whole day."<p>

"I'm okay. I just overextended in the battle." The redhead assured.

"She means she screwed up big time." Jaune corrected "Sorry, Pyrrha. You did almost die."

"Yeah, well… I didn't even realize how badly shaped I was. Thankfully you saved me." Pyrrha reminded, smiling.

Yang snickered.

"Another young marriage." She muttered under her breath.

Team JNPR shared some glances, dying to ask something, but none of them felt comfortable doing so.

"Blake's okay, guys. The doctors said she just needs time to recover… She'll wake up, for sure." Yang said, noticing their curiosity "Weiss is beside her right now. I don't think even an Ursa could move her out of that room."

"That's so nice of her." Pyrrha commented "Where's Ruby?"

Yang looked at the redhead, her expression uncomfortable. The blonde stared at her plate and started eating again.

"She's dealing with everything on her own." She answered briefly.

"Didn't she talk with you?" Jaune asked, confused.

Yang got up and took her plate.

"Ruby is complicated." The brawler shook her head "I'm taking some food to Weiss, or she'll starve. Have a nice day!"

-x-

_The little girl felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled at the sudden touch, and looked behind her._

_ It was a young woman, with white hair, wearing an elegant dress. There was a rapier tied to her hip, meaning she was a warrior. However, her face was distressed right now._

_ "Blake. You need to wake up." She called "I need you here, okay? Don't leave."_

_ The child smiled. That voice was so… pure, almost angelical. It made her feel so comfortable…_

_ "Who are you?" She asked in wonderment._

_ "Blake! Please…" The white-haired woman said, as if she hadn't heard her at all "You'll survive, I know you will. You're strong…"_

_ "… You're not talking to me." The girl realized._

_ She turned her back and started walking again_.

-x-

Weiss looked up from the sleeping figure in front of her. Yang stepped into the room, carrying a tray from the school cafeteria.

"I brought you food, since you refused to go eat anything." The blonde said, offering the tray.

"Thank you." Weiss answered, accepting the meal. She winced as she looked at the contents in the plate "You could have picked more sensibly, though."

"I am not your butler, Miss Weiss."

The once-heiress rolled her eyes, but started eating the food anyway.

Yang sat in a chair against the wall and looked at Blake. The brunette's skin was pale, and her face showed no signs of emotion. Her left arm stopped roughly at the middle now. The stump was covered in bandages, and the bleeding seemed to have stopped, at least for now.

"This shouldn't have happened." Yang sighed "I failed so badly… The primal wasn't even that strong."

"It's not your fault. That Grimm countered your style perfectly… You couldn't hit it, not because of incompetence, but because it was just too quick." Weiss assured, and then glared at the blonde "And don't even deny that. It's one thing for me to compliment Blake or Ruby…"

"Point taken." The brawler smirked "I will hold your esteem for me close to my heart."

Weiss smiled faintly, amused by her teammate.

"Did you find Ruby?" She asked as she finished her food.

"No… She slept in the dormitory last night, but when I woke up, she was gone again." Yang admitted "I don't know what to do about her."

"If you don't know… I don't even hope to comprehend what goes on in that girl's head." Weiss spoke sadly "She hasn't even visited Blake once…"

The blonde got up and looked through the room's window. She could see the campus from there. It was being cleaned by the school's staff. Anyone else would barely notice the damage, but Yang had been in the middle of the battle. She wouldn't forget the chaos so soon.

"I think Ruby is just coming to terms with everything that has happened." Yang said softly "She's not naïve, but… She's always had this optimistic take on being a Huntress. She wanted to be one, so she could help people and be a real heroine. But now that this horrible stuff is happening…"

"She can't believe in that anymore." Weiss concluded "A Huntress's job is not as romantic as she hoped, and this is worst way to realize that." The white-haired girl shook her head "She'll pull through. Ruby always does."

Yang smiled faintly.

"Hopefully she won't have to visit anyone's grave this time."

-x-

Ozpin frowned as he received a call on his computer. He was not in the mood for dealing with the media, and was afraid of what would happen if he answered. Thankfully, the caller was James Ironwood, who he was glad to be unpleasant to.

"Well, look who it is." Ozpin said sarcastically "My best friend."

"Shut up, Ozpin. I am as unhappy as you are about the latest events." Ironwood warned.

"An apology would make me feel a little better." The headmaster frowned "It won't bring my students back to life, however."

The general avoided his gaze. Ozpin could see clearly by his expression that he felt terrible.

"Well, at least now you believe me. I suppose I have your support?" The headmaster asked.

"Yes. I will move half of my forces to your school, so it is better protected from another attack." Ironwood said, assuming a professional tone "I can't afford to move everything, however. Atlas still needs defending."

"Understandable." Ozpin said "Also, your… daughter… Was in the battle. She was very helpful."

James' eyes widened.

"Penny?" He spoke, caught off guard by the revelation "She's not my daughter, at least biologically. She's a robot created by my scientific division." He frowned "Was she hurt?"

"No. Penny is housed in here now. She insisted on helping the wounded after the battle was over. Her help was welcomed with no hesitation."

The general waited a few seconds before answering. Penny was a powerful asset, and it was true she had earned his affection… But right now, she was needed somewhere she could be helpful, not beside him.

"Tell her to stay in Beacon." Ironwood sighed "She's yours to command… With responsibility."

Ozpin smiled.

"Thank you, James." He said honestly "May this alliance last through these dark times."

-x-

_The little girl stopped walking again. This didn't feel right… Everyone marching mindlessly to the same place, with no communication whatsoever… Following the flow scared her._

_ "Why did you stop?"_

_ She looked to her side. A red-haired boy was standing amidst the crowd, grinning at her. He was holding a katana in one hand, and blood was dripping down the steel blade._

_ "You're a monster, Blake." He said mockingly "You deserve to go with them…"_

_ "I-I'm not a monster…" The girl whispered._

_ "Yes, you are. We all are." The boy refuted "Now, you'll go to the same place where your victims went… And you'll spend eternity together."_

_ The boy started laughing maniacally. The girl screamed in terror and ran from him, following the endless march to nowhere._

-x-

Ruby stood up on the rooftop of Beacon. She looked up at the sky in distress.

"Why won't you answer me?" She asked aloud "What did I do wrong?"

When nobody spoke back, she sat down and buried her face on her knees, hugging them hard. Everything felt so bad… Like she had been living a lie all this time…

"You're right to feel this way, Ruby."

She looked up and found her mother floating in front of her. Summer's face was covered by her hood, hiding her expression from the young girl.

"What do you mean?" The leader asked meekly.

"You thought all of this would be exciting. That there would be loss, but your good deeds would overwhelm the bad." Summer explained evenly "But that's a lie. The world doesn't work that way. The people close to you won't be saved just because they're your friends… They will suffer the most."

"Are you saying I deserve this?" Ruby asked angrily "That Blake's injury was just something inevitable?!"

Summer lowered her face until her eyes met with her daughter's. Ruby hoped to find comfort in them, something to make her feel better… But she found nothing. Her mother's eyes showed no emotion.

"I'm saying you needed to learn that life is not a heroic tale." Summer said coldly "Everyone dies… Be they friends, enemies, relatives, strangers… They all meet their end sooner or later." She floated back up "Your job is to make sure most people meet their ends later. No matter the cost."

The ghost waited for a response, but when her daughter stayed silent, she shook her head and disappeared.

-x-

_The little girl walked quietly, her head hanging low. She had finally resigned to her fate, and marched right along with everyone else. She didn't know where she was right now, what her destination was, or why any of this was happening… But she didn't care anymore._

_ She was woken from her dazed state when she heard a noise break through the silence. The girl looked up, startled, and examined her surroundings. She recognized that sound… It was like someone crying…_

_ The brunette broke away from the flow, avoiding the faceless people on her way. She followed the sound until she found its origin. A little girl was sitting on the ground, her back against one the buildings. She wore a red cloak that was too big for her size, making her look even smaller than she was. Her eyes were silver, but they were obfuscated by tears._

_ "Hey…" The brunette knelt down beside the stranger "Why are you crying?"_

_ The redhead looked up, startled._

_ "I-I'm sad." She explained briefly._

_ "Why?" The brunette frowned. There was something about this girl… Like she knew her from somewhere…_

_ "My friend got hurt, and it's all my fault."_

_ The faunus embraced the stranger._

_ "That's not true…" She said "You wouldn't hurt anybody, right?"_

_ The redhead looked at her strangely. She shook her head vehemently._

_ "I could have stopped her." She refuted "If I had told her not to come with me, she would be fine. But now she's gone."_

_ The brunette got up and crossed her arms._

_ "You can't blame yourself… I'm not gone…"_

_ She blinked, confused by her own words. What was she saying? Who was this redhead? Why was she here?_

_The brunette shook her head and looked down again. The little girl stared back. "You're not gone?" The redhead said "How do you know that, Blake?"_

_ The faunus stepped back, her eyes widening as realization hit her. She smiled faintly._

_ "I just know, and I'll make sure you understand."_

-x-

Weiss yawned, resting her head against the wall. She was so tired… But she couldn't bring herself to leave the room. She wanted to be there when her friend woke up.

_Will she wake up?_ She thought sadly. _It's been so long… What if help came too late?_

Her eyes watered, but she held back the tears. She couldn't give up, not now, not ever.

"Weiss?"

The once-heiress jumped up, startled by the tired voice. She looked at the bed and smiled widely.

"Blake!" She yelled, hugging her friend "You're awake!"

The faunus smirked, waiting patiently for her partner to release her. When she did, Blake looked at her and lifted her eyebrows.

"How long was I out?" She asked.

"A week. I was starting to worry." Weiss admitted, and then she looked at the injury "I'm so sorry, Blake… The doctors said there was no way to fix that… You could get a prosthetic…"

The brunette lifted her left arm and looked at the stump. Strangely enough, the pain was not so great… Maybe it was because of her experience with injuries, or her aura easing the hurt.

"I can't get a prosthetic arm. It's too vulnerable in combat." She said.

"What? Blake, you don't mean you want to continue fighting?" Weiss asked worryingly.

"I'm not stopping, Weiss." The faunus spoke firmly "This is just a setback. I'll adapt."

The once-heiress sighed, knowing nothing would change her friend's mind. Part of her was glad, though: finding another partner would just feel wrong, considering everything they had gone through together.

"How's everyone doing?" Blake asked.

"There were a lot of casualties, but no one we were friends with." Weiss said "Yang was pretty beaten up, but she held up just fine. Pyrrha almost died in the battle, but _Jaune_ saved her."

"Really?" The faunus chuckled.

"He discovered his Semblance. He can share his aura with others." The dust user rolled her eyes "Everyone is treating him like a hero."

"He deserves it." Blake said "How's Ruby doing?"

Weiss' smile faded immediately.

"We don't know." She admitted "I've not seen her since the battle. Yang said she slept in the dormitory a few nights, but she doesn't know where she goes to in the day."

Blake sat up and started to reach her feet to the grounds. Weiss got in front of her and held her back.

"No! You're staying in bed!" She said angrily "I didn't wait a week for you to wake up just so you would collapse in the hallway!"

"I'm fine, Weiss." Blake refuted "I can walk."

"Absolutely not."

"Please?"

Weiss crossed her arms, trying to ignore her friend's sad face.

"I just want to find Ruby, okay? I know where she is." Blake asked.

"She didn't visit you even once." Weiss answered coldly "She can be miserable for another week while you recover fully."

"Weiss Schnee…" The faunus muttered, smirking devilish "You have forced my hand…"

Blake reached forward and kissed the dust user in the cheek. Weiss stepped back, fumbling over her own words. The faunus jumped from the bed and ran from the room, leaving a bunch of clones behind.

The once-heiress grunted, trying to be angry. After a few seconds, she hesitantly touched her cheek.

_I could get used to bargaining with her._

-x-

Ruby hugged her knees, staring at the horizon silently. She had spent the last week in this miserable state, only coming back to her room to sleep. Yang had tried to talk to her, but she had just ignored her.

She narrowed her eyes when she heard the sound of someone getting close to her. The person was clearly exhausted, breathing heavily. Ruby sighed, hoping that whoever was there didn't notice her.

Her eyes widened when Blake sat beside her, panting heavily.

"You know…" The brunette said "Climbing this rooftop was much easier when I had two arms."

"B-Blake!" Ruby exclaimed "You're supposed to be resting!"

"Spare me the lecture… Weiss already tried to stop me."

The redhead looked at her friend's injury and flinched. The faunus followed her gaze and smiled faintly.

"It's okay, Ruby." She spoke softly "It doesn't hurt that much anymore."

"But you'll never get it back…" Ruby whispered sadly.

"I can deal with that. I will learn to fight with one arm… And I was ambidextrous anyway, so the more trivial tasks won't be so difficult." Blake assured.

The leader looked away, trying to hide her tears.

"Hey…" The brunette called "There's no need for crying, Ruby. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is!" Ruby exclaimed "You didn't want to go in this stupid mission! I forced you to go because I was childish!" She sobbed "I-I thought everything would be okay… I never imagined we could get hurt… It was like a game to me. To impress my mother…"

"We all make mistakes, Ruby." The faunus hugged her friend "You learned your lesson, right? That's all that matters."

"…Yes. We're not going to be Ozpin and my mother's personal team anymore." The redhead decided firmly.

Blake glared at her friend. Ruby looked back at her and slumped her shoulders.

"We are not backing down." The brunette refuted "This injury… It's just that. It happened, and there's nothing to be done about it." Blake shook her head "The worst thing we could do is stop fighting, because then I will have lost my arm for nothing. Do you want that, Ruby?"

"…No." The redhead looked at her lap "I'm sorry, Blake. I wasn't thinking clearly. If you want to keep going, I'll be by your side."

The faunus smiled and got up. She offered her hand to her friend, who took it gladly.

"There's one thing I wanna make very clear, Blake."

"What?"

Ruby narrowed her eyes with determination.

"Nobody else is getting hurt on my watch." The redhead nodded "No matter the cost."

-x-

_Alive_.

It opened its eyes, facing the sky above, covered in beautiful shining stars.

_Hate._

Its vision turned red.

_Kill._

_ Blonde._

_ Kill._

_ Yang._

_ KILL._

-x-

**Yay! Blake is alive! Rejoice! By the way, if anyone was confused, this chapter did not occur in a single day. Blake was unconscious for a week, and the scenes occur in that period (except the two last ones, of course).**

** Reviews!**

** Tennison! Yes, double fav follow! That should be a thing. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Ihavenoidea! Sorry, Blake is not getting a new arm... Also, Jaune can't cure people, just protect them with his own Aura. I think I had Oobleck in the back of my mind when thinking about that Grimm, actually... They are not related at all, though. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Strategist! Sorry for being evasive... But more will be revealed about the Dark, not too soon, I'm afraid, but that will happen. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Cyborg! I don't dislike the original epitaph, but I wanted something more personal, considering Summer's importance to the story. I don't know about canon, but considering she was so loved by everyone, I think her headstone would be something more than a reference to a poem... Thank you for reviewing!**

** Blake's determination-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	19. Light the night

**A/N: Uploading this chapter has been crazy. I've uploaded the first time, and after a while it disappeared. I reuploaded it, and apparently some people got to read it, but it stopped showing again. I'm reuploading one more time using a tablet, so hopefully it will stick now. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused to you guys! Also, to those who have read chap. 19 already, I haven't changed anything, so don't worry about rereading.  
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-x-

"Hello, students of Beacon."

Ozpin stood in the entrance room of the school, up on a stage. He spoke in a microphone, eying the young warriors in front of him. It was still painful to think how many of them were missing from the beginning of the year, but it was time to move on.

"We have faced tough times lately." He began "Our whole world is in danger. The Dark, our greatest enemy, has awakened, and it is a cruel, merciless being."

He looked at the microphone and scoffed. The headmaster turned it away, and stepped towards the crowd.

"I know many of you have lost friends and colleagues." He said in a warm tone "We all deal with loss differently. Some of you have already moved on, while others might never do that. It is important, however, that we never lose hope." Ozpin lifted his hands and smiled "For this reason, I am pleased to announce that the annual school dance has not been canceled. It may seem disrespectful to those that left us… But I think there is no better way to honor them than by being happy in their place."

He nodded and left the stage, hearing the explosion of chatter that followed his announcement. Glynda walked by his side, examining him closely.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked.

"Of course I'm sure." Ozpin answered cheerfully "I meant that. We stand no hope against the Dark if all we do is mope." He stopped and lifted his eyebrows at her "Do you want to be my date, Lady Goodwitch?"

Glynda slapped him and stormed out of the room. Ozpin chuckled and rubbed his cheek. He had expected no other answer.

-x-

"Is this design good?" Ruby asked, showing the piece.

Blake lifted an eyebrow and thought for a few moments.

"Hmm… I would feel a little vulnerable using that." She said.

"Well… How about this one?" Ruby continued.

"That's way too short." Blake said immediately.

The redhead threw the weapon designs on the floor, frustrated. She crossed her arms, examining the twenty variations of Gambol Shroud she had shoved to the ground.

"Okay, how about this…" Ruby said, picking two of the designs up "It has a very light handle, with a decent cross guard, but you said the blade would make it unbalanced. So, if I instead switched it with this one's blade, which is lighter…"

"That's perfect!" Blake exclaimed "It has reach, appropriate weight, and doesn't leave my wrist vulnerable. Also, it doesn't hurt the gun form."

"Yay! I'll get right on it!" The redhead yelled excitedly.

She rushed through the forge room, gathering the materials needed for her friend's new weapon. Blake chuckled amusedly.

"You know, Ruby, most girls would be more excited choosing a dress." She commented "But you were so horrified about doing that, you dragged me here to make my new sword."

Ruby rejoined the faunus and deposited the materials in a table. She spared Blake a quick glance, before shrugging and starting to arrange the pieces.

"I think the dance is a stupid decision."

"Of course you do. You don't like socializing _or_ dancing." The brunette pointed out.

"It's not like that… I mean, I don't like those things, but…" Ruby said, distracted by the forging preparations "We just lost a lot people because we were unprepared. Everyone should be training, not having fun."

"You're taking this too seriously. It's important that we stay positive if we want to face the Dark." Blake frowned "But I guess training makes you happier than dancing… So it doesn't work for you."

Ruby nodded, deciding to leave that discussion right at that point.

"You can have all the fun you want." She assured "Are you inviting Weiss as your date?"

"…Have you been talking with your sister?" Blake asked, glaring at the younger girl.

"I'm not _blind_." Ruby said, offended "I think you should invite Weiss."

The faunus contemplated the idea. Before the Beacon attack, she thought having a romantic relationship in these dangerous times would be bad. But now… She looked at her left arm, realizing how close she had come to dying. If that had happened, she would have died without ever having a real relationship.

"I'll ask her to be my date." Blake decided "Do I have your permission to go?"

Ruby groaned and pointed to the door dismissively, too concentrated in her work to answer with actual words.

-x-

Weiss paced in the dormitory room, her mind running wild. She would make her way to the door, but then run back to the center of the room. The girl had never felt this nervous in her life.

Yang was sitting on her bed, happy with a handheld videogame. She yelled triumphantly as she beat a level, but suddenly halted, remembering how angry Weiss got when she did that. The blonde looked at her teammate, expecting her to shout at her for being loud.

"Are you okay?" She asked when no outburst happened.

"Of course I'm not okay!" The once-heiress yelled.

Yang threw her game on the bed and lifted her hands up defensively. _There_ was the outburst.

"What's bothering you?" She tried again, taking care with her choice of words.

"I-I…" Weiss avoided her friend's gaze, her cheeks reddening "I want to ask Blake to be my date."

Yang blinked a few times, and then fell down on her back laughing.

"I-It's not funny!" The dust user yelled "I have no experience with these things. I'm not like _you_. You just look at people and make dirty insinuations."

"I would be offended at that, but people have phrased that accusation much worse." Yang commented, smiling "Look, you don't need to worry. Just ask her."

"That's the best advise you have?!" Weiss scoffed "That's _exactly_ what I'm nervous about."

The blonde sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. She patted the space beside her, and Weiss sat on it hesitantly.

"Weiss… What do you have to fear?"

"She might reject me." The white-haired girl confessed "I'll make a fool of myself."

"Blake would never reject you." Yang leaned towards her friend "This stays between you and me, okay? Blake admitted to me that she likes you. I mean, _likes_ likes you."

"Oh." Weiss blushed "Well… I like her too."

"Really?" The blonde mocked "I never would have guessed!"

The once-heiress glared at her, before panicking again.

"What if I'm not good enough for her?" She asked.

"Oh, for Dust's sake." Yang groaned "It will all work out, okay? The only way to screw up is by not asking her."

Weiss nodded and stood up.

"Yes! I will ask her to be my date right now!" She decided.

The door of the dormitory opened and Blake walked in. Weiss looked at Yang, her face paling immediately. The blonde hid her smile and started playing again.

The faunus approached her partner and stood close to her for a few seconds.

"Weiss…" She said "I don't know how to go about this, so I'll just ask you… Do you want to be my date for the dance?"

"I-I, uh, ah, guh-" The white-haired girl stammered "Yes! I will be your date!"

Blake smiled widely and hugged her partner. Yang looked at them and stood up.

"I'll leave you two alone." She decided "Don't do anything naughty while I'm gone, okay?"

The blonde left the room, chuckling. Weiss looked at Blake and jumped far from her, Yang's insinuations ringing in her mind.

"I-I need to pick a dress!" She yelled, jumping into her closet.

Blake smirked.

"Are you undressing with me in the room?" She asked.

Weiss looked back at her, took a bunch of dresses and entered the bathroom, locking the door from inside.

-x-

"Hey, guys!" Yang yelled.

She sat down in the campus in front of JNPR. Jaune looked at her oddly.

"Why are you so happy?" He asked.

"I played matchmaker!" She said "Well, at least I tried to. I encouraged Weiss to ask Blake out, but that sexy cat did it first."

"I guess the marriage jokes will get out of control." Pyrrha commented, and then shot a glance at her partner "Weiss is really clueless when it comes to relationships… Like some guy I know."

"Who?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha looked at Yang, her expression desperate. The blonde smiled, deciding not to interfere in that.

"Hey, Yang!" Nora called "Why don't you ever joke about me and Ren getting married?"

Ren looked at his partner, lifting his eyebrows comically.

"Well… That's too obvious." Yang explained "You see, the joke is funny because Weiss doesn't want to admit it's true. But I don't even need to ask if you two are going together to the dance, because I already know the answer."

"Ren! You're too easy!" Nora realized.

"I thought we weren't together-together." The boy said, mimicking her speech.

"Are you breaking up with me?!"

Ren lifted his hands defensively. Nora smiled and poked his nose.

"Boop!" She exclaimed gleefully, making him smile too.

Pyrrha grinned and poked Jaune with elbow.

"They're so sweet, right, Jaune?" She said.

"Uh… Sure." He responded awkwardly.

"It must be wonderful to have a relationship like that with your partner." The redhead continued, sure that he would finally take the hint.

"Yeah, it really helps them in combat."

Yang's jaw dropped. She knew Jaune was dense, but this was too much.

"Are you an idiot?!" The blonde yelled angrily.

"W-What?" Jaune stammered, confused at the sudden outburst.

"Pyrrha wants you to be her date!" Yang revealed "She's been dropping hints for months now!"

The redhead blushed and looked at the brawler, half angry, half glad that she had said that. Jaune's eyes widened, and then he looked at his partner.

"Is that true?" He asked.

"…Yes." The champion admitted.

"Oh. So…" Jaune said awkwardly "Do you wanna be my date?"

"Yes!" She yelled, tackling him to the ground in her happiness.

Yang smiled widely.

"I should play matchmaker more often."

-x-

The days passed by quickly. The students trained hard, motivated by the tragic battle that had happened, but there was something else in their minds now. While not everybody was happy about the dance, it was something to occupy their thoughts with, be it in anger or expectation.

It was held Sunday night in the entrance hall of the academy. The place was heavily secured with Ironwood's troops. They stood silent, almost like they weren't human, and that unnerved some of the students.

"I think they are robots…" Ruby said, examining them from up close.

She poked one in the stomach and flinched as she struck metal.

"Yep. Definitively robots." She confirmed.

"Come on, sis." Yang called "You've put this off for long enough."

The blonde was wearing a simple white dress that stopped at her knees. It was fairly elegant, especially for someone with her tastes in clothing.

Ruby was dressed in a more conservative red dress, with black pantyhose covering her legs and high heels on her feet. It had taken much arguing from her sister to convince her to wear that outfit, especially the shoes.

"I hate this." She complained as they entered the party "I can't even walk properly, and I look stupid."

"You don't look stupid. You're gorgeous." Yang smiled "For a fifteen year old."

"Well, excuse me!" The redhead exclaimed "Not everyone can be as voluptuous as you!"

The blonde looked at her sister, confused at her speech.

"Where did you learn that word, Ruby?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well… Uh…" The leader muttered "Blake has a very large library with all sorts of books…"

Yang opened a devilish smile, prepared to unleash a barrage of teasing upon her sister. Ruby noticed that and rushed up the stairs, leaving the blonde alone.

"You can't run away from growing up, sis!" Yang shouted.

-x-

Weiss stood in front of the entrance, looking around nervously. She couldn't help but be like that… She had never felt this way before about anyone. The fear of screwing things up with Blake was too great.

It had taken days for her to decide her clothing for this night. It had chipped on her sanity, Yang's, and at a crucial point, Ruby's. In a moment of desperation, the sisters teamed up and finally chose for her.

It was a simple blue dress that fit her form without being too flashy. She figured the choice was right: Blake probably wouldn't appreciate something too fancy or exaggerated.

Her hopes were confirmed when the faunus appeared, wearing a purple and black dress that fell to her knees. She was also using a bluish eye shadow. Weiss' heart jumped. Her partner looked beautiful.

"H-Hi!" The once-heiress exclaimed, immediately regretting her words "I mean… You look nice."

"Thank you." Blake smirked "You look stunning. Shall we go inside?"

The faunus extended her arm, which Weiss took promptly. They walked inside the ballroom and were met with various curious stares. The once-heiress blushed.

"Is it weird that we're together? Considering our different heritages… Or lack thereof." She asked.

"Does it feel weird?" Blake questioned.

"… No. It feels right."

-x-

Ruby spied the dance floor from upstairs, taking care to not be spotted by her sister. She was happy to see her other teammates dancing together. She noticed when Weiss reached for Blake's missing arm and started apologizing profusely, but the faunus just laughed and continued dancing.

She also watched as Jaune and Pyrrha danced a few feet away from the other pair. Surprisingly, the boy seemed to be leading the dance perfectly, and the champion looked almost scared at his finesse. Ruby chuckled.

_Probably the seven sisters' influence._

"Enjoying yourself, Miss Rose?"

Ozpin rested his arms in the rail, right beside her. He was wearing his usual outfit, which made Ruby jealous. This was clearly power abuse.

"A little bit." She said grudgingly "These heels are killing me… And I wish I was out in the field."

"Well, that time will come." The headmaster smirked "After this dance, I'm afraid you won't have many moments for fun. The Dark is still out there, and we have no idea what his next move is."

"I'm aware of that, professor." Ruby spoke seriously "And when we're sent on a mission, I'll do my best to succeed without anyone getting hurt."

"You're truly your mother's daughter." Ozpin realized "I was her history teacher. You see, I still wasn't headmaster that time. Every fifty years I have to disappear so no one suspects me. It's a nice change of pace."

"It doesn't sound fun to me."

The headmaster nodded.

"Immortality is not as great as it sounds." He acknowledged "But that's a talk for a less joyful occasion. If you excuse me, I will annoy Glynda until she agrees to dance with me."

He smiled and left the girl alone. Ruby shook her head, fascinated by her headmaster's attitude. She observed the dancing for some minutes, but was surprised when she noticed someone else beside her.

It was a young woman with dark hair and orange eyes. She wore a long black dress that left the upper part of her back exposed. In that area, there was a strange tattoo, which the only thing Ruby could associate it with was a heart with a hole in the middle.

"Uh… Hello?" The redhead called "Do I know you?"

The brunette looked at her and smiled slyly.

"I believe not." She said. Ruby was impressed by her voice; it was gentle, yet there was strength behind it "My name is Cinder Fall. Might I ask yours?"

"I'm Ruby Rose." The redhead answered, feeling dumb by speaking so bluntly "I'm a first year student. Or, at least was a student… I've never seen you before in the school."

"Oh, I'm not a student. I am paying a visit to see how things are going, and couldn't resist this party." Cinder explained "It must be hard being here in these dark times. You must be training hard to defend the school."

The redhead nodded. This woman seemed very knowledgeable, but not dangerous. The leader decided she could be trusted.

"Well, everyone is training a lot." She said "But my team and I are probably going to leave soon to carry out the headmaster's orders."

"Really?" Cinder asked "Are you a friend of his? Relative?"

"No, I'm not his relative… It's complicated." Ruby answered "He just trusts my team."

"You must feel very honored to be of help to him. Ozpin is a great man, after all."

"Do you know him?"

Cinder smirked.

"Yes. I'm afraid he doesn't like me very much, however." She admitted "I think I'm going to get a drink. Have fun, Ruby Rose."

"Good night, Miss Fall." Ruby wished.

"Call me Cinder."

-x-

Yang stepped out into the night, eager to breathe some fresh air.

She was happy for her friends. Even Ruby seemed to be enjoying the party. But while the blonde had always liked these events, she didn't feel like staying there for too long. Maybe it was the lack of a date, or just the fact that she had been prohibited to drink anything heavy, but she really felt out of place there…

She walked to the front of the school, facing the Emerald Forest from above, and sat down on the grass.

_I'm just making excuses_. The blonde thought.

Yang waited a few minutes, mulling over an idea that had been stuck in her head for days. She sighed and decided to just try it.

"Hey, Summer." She called "Summer Rose?"

A few seconds passed before the ghost woman appeared before her.

"Yang?" She said, as if she was surprised "Why did you call me?"

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you to answer." The blonde admitted.

"… Did you call me just for fun?" Summer accused, holding back her anger.

"Oh, no!" Yang assured "I just wanted to ask something."

The woman nodded, allowing the brawler to voice what she wanted.

"I was wondering… You chose Ruby because of her pure soul." Yang remembered "Weiss also demonstrated her qualities by changing for the better, as did Blake… But you never said anything about me. Do I just come with the package?"

"No." Summer said "You possess a lot of potential. You would do anything to protect the people around you, especially Ruby. This selflessness… It's very rare. Also, your cheerfulness is welcomed."

The blonde narrowed her eyes.

"It seems like you're making this stuff up." She accused "Look, if I'm just here because I'm part of the team… That's fine. I just want to help my sister and friends."

"If that's enough for you, why did you ask me that question?"

"Oh, that's not all I have to talk about." Yang got up and crossed her arms "Why are you so hard on Ruby?"

Summer frowned.

"I am hard on her because that's what she needs." She answered in a cold tone of voice "I am not here to be a sweet guide, or a mother."

"Good. She doesn't need you trying to be her mother."

The ghost nodded, though she couldn't hide the slight flinch at the girl's words.

"_I_ grew up beside Ruby. _I_ protected her. _I_ was her mother when she needed one." Yang continued.

"That's enough, Xiao Long." Summer seethed "Know your boundaries."

"_You_ know your boundaries." The blonde shot back angrily "You have no right to influence Ruby in any way, so the next time she is feeling bad, leave her alone."

The dead woman stared at her for a few seconds and then disappeared without another word.

Yang breathed deeply, noticing how worked up she had gotten by that conversation. She didn't even know she held such resentment towards Summer… She only hoped it wouldn't hurt Ruby in any way.

She started to walk towards the school again, but stopped when she heard a noise behind her. It was like a low roar…

Yang looked back and her eyes widened in terror.

-x-

Weiss looked through the window, up at the sky. There were so many bright stars out there, and she had been familiarizing herself with the constellations. She could spot many of them this night.

She was interrupted from her gazing when someone poked her in the shoulder. The dust user smiled as she accepted a glass of punch from Blake. She took a sip of the drink and looked up at her partner.

"I'm so glad I met you." She said all of a sudden.

"…Thank you, Weiss." The faunus answered, smiling.

In a sudden uncalculated move, Weiss stepped forward and kissed her. Blake blinked, caught off guard. She hadn't expected this, especially when she remembered how nervous her partner had been about just going to the dance.

"Sorry." Weiss apologized, although her smile didn't carry any regret at all "I just want you to know I mean it."

"I know you mean it." Blake assured, her eyes shining.

They stared at each other and kissed again. They stopped when the people around them whistled playfully. Weiss looked around, embarrassed, but still smiling. Blake leaned toward her ear.

"Let's go back to the dorm." She suggested.

The white-haired girl's heart beat fast in her chest.

"I'm already there."

-x-

"This is so awkward." Ruby grunted, stepping over Jaune's foot again.

"Hey, you're doing greeeea-" He winced as her heel pressed his toes to the ground "Time out, time out!"

Ruby jumped back, lifting her hands to her face to hide her embarrassment. Pyrrha touched her on the shoulder and smiled.

"It's okay, Ruby." She assured "You had a great time, right?"

"S-Sure." The younger girl answered "Thank you for offering Jaune's toes for sacrifice."

"Anything for a friend."

Ruby slipped away unnoticed as the champion examined Jaune's feet for any serious damage. She ran outside, almost falling because of her shoes, but was finally glad as she reached fresh air.

"Away, monsters!" She shouted, kicking the high heels away, not caring where they landed. They did not deserve to live.

The redhead sighed in relief and decided to take a walk. The outside was so relaxing, compared to that hellish ballroom.

However, that plan would have to wait. Ruby frowned as she heard the sound of a distant struggle and bolted toward the source, leaving a trail of roses behind. She was surprised to find Yang dodging a primal Grimm's blows.

"What the hell!" The redhead shouted.

"Sis!" Yang yelled back in relief "Call for help!"

Ruby examined the Grimm, trying to determine if they could take it on without weapons. She gasped as she noticed it was the same one from the Emerald Forest.

"We killed it before!" She protested angrily.

"Call for help already!" Yang shouted, even more furious.

A blast of fire hit the monster's side, knocking it away from the blonde. The two girls looked at the attack's origin.

Cinder walked to Ruby's side, her right hand still glowing red.

"Cinder?" The redhead called.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." The woman decided, smiling confidently.

Cinder ran forward and extended her arms to the sides. In each hand, one short black sword appeared, as if they had been formed by Dust. The mysterious woman slid toward the Grimm and slashed at it, the wounds glowing with fire.

The creature roared in pain and tried to cut her, but she jumped up several meters, spinning in the air gracefully. She landed on its head and slashed at its shoulders, before jumping back down.

The swords disappeared and she touched the beast's stomach. Fire erupted from her hands, sending the Grimm flying away, down deep into the Emerald Forest.

"Holy crap." Yang muttered "That was awesome."

"I didn't know you were a Huntress, Cinder!" Ruby exclaimed, impressed by the performance.

"I'm not a Huntress." Cinder smirked "Just someone with power." She looked at the blonde "Are you hurt?"

"No..."

The brunette nodded.

"You should go back to your dormitory and rest anyway. You had enough excitement for one night." She suggested.

"What about you?" Ruby questioned "Aren't you tired too?"

Cinder winked at her and walked away without a word.

-x-

Ruby and Yang walked through the dormitory's hallway, both of them exhausted.

"I can't believe that thing survived my beating." The blonde said "Seriously, it looked dead. It _should_ be dead."

"There's no way it survived now, though." Ruby assured "Did you see Cinder? She was _so awesome_! She made Dust swords! And Dust kabooms!"

"She sure looked impressive." Yang agreed "Do you have any idea who she is, though?"

"Not a clue." The redhead admitted.

The brawler shrugged as they neared their room. She reached for the door knob, but stopped when she heard something from the inside.

"Blake! Don't stop!"

Yang's jaw dropped, noticing how close she had come to causing a very unfortunate accident. She looked at Ruby, whose expression was panicked.

"Open the door already!" The younger girl urged "They're in danger!"

"Uh… Define danger." The blonde said.

Ruby was about to yell at her sister, but…

"Oh! Blake! _I love you_!"

The redhead's face paled immediately as she noticed what was really going on inside the room. She bolted away, leaving a trail of roses behind her. Yang chuckled before following her sister.

-x-

** MONOCHROOOOOME_. _****This. Has. Happened!**

** So, yeah. I wanna explain something that some people may be curious/pissed off about: Ruby and Blake's attitude towards the dance. In canon, Ruby is excited, but still, she doesn't seem to actually like dancing or socializing. She was mostly happy because it would be a fun occasion for her and her friends. But in _Children of Summer_, she's WAY more focused in the Dark problem. That's why she wasn't too happy about the dance. And Blake... In canon, she was worried about Torchwick and the White Fang. And while she is concerned about the Dark here, her injury changed her way of thinking. She knows she was lucky to survive in the first place, and that made her happier about the dance.**

** Anyway. Reviews!**

** Lojzek! The angst is real. By the way, they were pretty much dreams. They didn't have much meaning, it was half Blake's past (Adam Taurus), and what she was hearing while sleeping (Weiss talking to her while she was unconscious, and Weiss and Yang's conversation about Ruby being absent). Thank you for reviewing!**

** Ihavenoidea! Blake is only going to wield one sword now ): On the bright side, it's one designed by Miss Ruby Rose herself, and I've heard she's quite the weapon specialist. Also, the Dark itself is not targeting Yang. It's the primal Grimm from the Emerald Forest and this chapter that got pissed at her and marked her as prey. It's dead now, though. I mean, hopefully. Hehe. Thank you for reviewing!**

** Cyborg! (From chapter 14, but you had interesting questions, so I'll answer anyway) Summer raised her eyebrow because she was amused. The 'I don't drink milk anymore' was said by Ruby to exemplify she wasn't a child anymore, but it obviously didn't work as intended. Yang knew Summer for a _very _brief time. She stayed at Taiyang's while she was pregnant, and a while after having Ruby (Yang was around one year and a half of age), she left to look for Raven and died. So both girls grew up with only their father ): Thank you for reviewing!**

** Strategist! Your opinion about the mechanical arm is right, but Blake probably wouldn't be able to get one in time to go back to fighting the Dark. Also, I imagine getting a prosthetic and going immediately back to the field would be dangerous. And... She has other, spoilerish, reasons... Which are yet to be revealed! Thank you for reviewing!**

** Ruby-innocence-being-shattered-by-Monochrome-noises-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	20. Playful kitten, dangerous cat

"A-are you sure we should go in there?" Ruby asked, cowering behind her sister.

"We can't move out, sis." Yang said amusedly "Sooner or later, you're going to see some things…"

"I don't _want_ to see those things!" The redhead protested.

"But you have no problem reading about them, right?"

Ruby dropped her defenses at that phrase, and Yang did not lose the opportunity, grabbing her by the dress and shoved her inside the room. The young girl stumbled into the middle of the dormitory room and covered her eyes with her hands.

"I'm so sorry!" She yelled "Please don't hurt me!"

"Ruby?" She heard Blake call "What's going on?"

The redhead slowly moved her fingers apart, opening a space for one eye to look through. She noticed her two teammates sitting calmly on one of the beds, in front of each other, but doing nothing unusual.

"Oh. Uh…" Ruby stammered awkwardly "I thought you were… You know…"

"We're not sex machines." Weiss pointed out, and then smirked "Well, at least _I'm_ not."

Blake smiled innocently to her leader, who looked ready to jump through the window at any moment.

"Seriously, though." Weiss said "We're together, but you don't have to fear anything. We're sensible people."

"You might say that now…" Yang joined in the conversation "Repeat that tonight, and I'll believe you."

"Challenge accepted." The once-heiress crossed her arms defiantly.

Ruby sighed, relieved that nothing weird was happening right now. Then, she looked down at her formal clothing and grunted angrily.

"Can I have my normal clothes back?" She asked "I really want my cloak."

"Go ahead." Yang conceded.

Ruby's face brightened as she picked up her normal attire and rushed into the bathroom. The blonde was about to lie down in her bed, when she remembered something.

"By the way… I got attacked last night by the same Grimm from the Emerald Forest." She said casually.

"What?" Blake blurted out "It was dead."

"Well, it _is_ dead now. Probably." Yang shrugged "There was a badass girl named Cinder. Seriously, she kicked major Grimm butt. She had these swords she made out of Dust…"

"Really? That's a very rare and difficult skill to master." Weiss commented "I never could do it myself."

"I'm sure you are able to! You just need to train." Blake decided.

The once-heiress smiled happily and kissed the faunus in the cheek.

"Well… It still requires a large amount of Dust." She explained "To gather that much Dust, you need to take it from the ambient around you, because the normal crystals are just too small to hold that much power. But that takes too long, and it also is very hard to maintain hold of it, so it is not very fit for combat."

"Cinder did it very quickly, and it looked almost effortless, actually." Yang remembered.

"That's… strange." Weiss said "That means she had a large reservoir already. There are some theories about holding Dust inside one's body, but it is very dangerous." She frowned "How did you meet this Cinder?"

Yang shrugged.

"I didn't. Ruby met her at the party." She told "They talked about the school and the fighting, but she didn't mention anything about Dust."

"Oh. Is Ruby _interested_ in someone?" Blake teased.

They could hear Ruby's panicked squealing in the bathroom.

"Y-You are all perverts!" She accused, stepping out in her battle-skirt and cloak "Besides, I think she's older…"

"She didn't look that old to me." Yang said "Maybe a little older than me?"

"That doesn't mean I am _interested_ in her." Ruby refuted, climbing up to her bed.

"We all have to come to terms with our feelings eventually, Ruby." Weiss joined in on the teasing.

Ruby hugged her knees and faced the wall.

"_Perverts_. All of you."

-x-

_"Last night, citizens of the capital of Mystral were awoken by a sudden Grimm attack." A reporter said, pointing to ruined buildings behind her "This is not the first assault to happen recently. Five weeks ago, Beacon academy, located in the kingdom of Vale, was also invaded by the forces of Grimm. Three weeks ago, a city on the outskirts of Vacuo was decimated overnight. Some smaller events like those were also noted in many different regions of Vytal."_

_ "While they rebuild their homes and mourn theirs lost ones, one question burns in the mind of every survivor: What is the meaning behind these tragedies? Are the words of headmaster Ozpin true, or is it just a heartless plan to further his power?"_

Ozpin shut off his computer and sat back in his chair, groaning tiredly. No matter how many times he said it, no matter how many interviews he attended… The message did not come clear enough. Everyone was in danger, anywhere, anytime.

He smiled faintly as team RWBY entered his office one by one. They looked rested enough after five weeks at the school. Of course they had been training, but it was much better than being out in the field.

"Hello, girls." He greeted, righting his posture "Are you ready for your next mission?"

"Yes. We are ready." Ruby answered seriously.

"Is Miss Belladonna prepared to fight again?" Ozpin insisted, examining the faunus's shortened left arm.

"I am very prepared, professor." Blake assured.

"And if she needs it, she will always have help." Weiss added.

The headmaster nodded, satisfied.

"Have you all heard the news about Mystral?"

"The capital was attacked, but it was not a total disaster." Yang recalled "Roughly half of the population has been accounted for, but they haven't looked everywhere yet."

"Yes." Ozpin confirmed "What does that tell us?"

"That nobody took your warnings seriously, even after Beacon was attacked." Blake said.

"Exactly, and they probably never will until it's too late. I swear, they are more willing to believe that I'm a Grimm overlord instead of the Dark." The headmaster sighed "That means we won't have a united force to stand against the Dark. We will have to earn the allies we can until our time is up."

"We already have General Ironwood's help." Weiss said "He's very influential, but I doubt he can get help from other Atlesians all by himself."

Ozpin nodded, agreeing with the girl's logic.

"He has soldiers, but they're all robots. None of them have spirit…" He lamented "They are nothing more than bodies against the Dark. What we need is more human and faunus warriors, and firepower to arm them."

"Dust." The once-heiress suggested "The Schnee Company is the biggest exporter. Maybe you can get a deal with them."

"Yes. Good thinking!" Ozpin complimented "Any other ideas?"

"Signal Academy." Yang said "It's very close to Vale, meaning they probably will join our cause. Also, my father is a professor there. He can pull some strings."

"What about uncle Qrow?" Ruby joined in "He's got a reputation. Maybe some freelancer Hunters like him would follow him."

The headmaster grinned, satisfied that his students were thinking so quickly and so well. It seemed Summer had truly made the best choice possible.

"The White Fang." Blake spoke up.

Her teammates all looked at her, surprised at the suggestion.

"Are you sure, Blake?" Weiss asked "They're a terrorist organization."

"I know, but…" The faunus looked at Ozpin and stepped towards him, trying to get her point across "Terrorists have reason. They do horrible things because they want to achieve a goal, no matter how twisted it may be. And while some of the White Fang are downright sadistic bastards… Most of them are victims. They will fight against the Dark, they just need guidance."

Ozpin pondered the suggestion for some time. It was a risky move. Bringing such widely known terrorists to their ranks could cause a lot of chaos… However, the co-operation between men and faunus would be a reward well worth that chance.

"The White Fang might be a good ally." He recognized "However, do you have any idea how we might earn their support?"

"We remove their main leader and harsher members." Blake started "While I cannot say for sure, they probably haven't changed their headquarters since I left them. If anything, I could get the information by myself." She smirked "A victimized, one-armed faunus girl would be very convincing."

The headmaster nodded his understanding and thought for a few minutes, planning the best way to proceed.

"Okay." He said, finalizing his plan "We will start with the White Fang, since it will probably be the hardest goal to achieve. While you are out, I will deal with the Schnee Company. After you're done, head to Patch and try to get Signal's support. Don't even bother with Qrow. He'll arrive sooner or later anyway."

"Understood!" Ruby exclaimed "We'll move out immediately."

-x-

Jaune walked to his team's room, his head hanging low. Training was exhausting… For the first time in his life, he wished he was actually attending classes. Now everyone woke up at the same time, not to study, but to prepare themselves for war.

The situation was frightening. Everybody knew being a Hunter was dangerous, but it was a job about fighting Grimm and criminals. What they were doing now… It was like preparing to jump off a building so you would crash on the ground in the most comfortable way possible, but you knew there was going to be pain no matter how you landed.

The blonde, in particular, was being pushed to his limits. He had always struggled with combat, but he had learned to handle himself in a fight and was actually very capable now. However, he now had to train his Semblance too. The process involved strengthening his Aura, mostly by sharing it with others while they also trained. Every hit they took, he felt it too. Every time they used their Aura, he felt his own also lower. It was tiring, to say the least.

Still, Jaune was happy. He had finally found his place in the battlefield, and he thought it was quite fitting. Pyrrha did say he cared about everyone around him, after all.

Thinking of the redhead made him smile widely. Since the dance, the two had been much more intimate. They hadn't said it out loud, partly because they didn't feel the need to, but they were pretty much dating now. Most people didn't even understand their connection: he was only barely above a loser in their eyes, and she was a renowned and beautiful champion.

_Maybe people just think too much about how love should work._ He thought, and then frowned. _Okay, sisters. Get out of my head._

He finally reached his room, but as he was about to enter it, he heard arguing coming from his friend's dormitory. The blonde listened apprehensible for a few minutes before hesitantly knocking on their door.

After a few seconds, Ruby opened the door. She had an expression of exasperation on her face, which was uncommon. The redhead was not one known for getting annoyed at other people's attitudes.

A look behind her made everything clear to Jaune. Weiss and Blake seemed to be having a heated discussion, which was being constantly instigated by Yang, who had a devilish smile on her face.

"What's happening here?" Jaune asked worryingly.

"Oh, the usual. Weiss made an almost racist statement about the White Fang and apologized. Blake said she didn't need to apologize. Weiss insisted…" Ruby rolled her eyes "You know how it goes."

"Well, it's better than Weiss making an actual racist statement and Blake running away." The swordsman commented. He then noticed his friend was carrying her weapon, as were her teammates "Are you going somewhere again?"

"Oh, yes. We are-"

"It wasn't racist!" Blake exclaimed "It was racist for you to think it was racist!"

"I agree." Yang said.

"I know! I'm sorry!" Weiss yelled.

"Is she really, though?" The older sister questioned.

Ruby winced and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"We are going to recruit some help." She told "Nobody is willing to offer support to the school, and besides, maybe they shouldn't. The other kingdoms need defending too."

"That makes sense." Jaune noted "Where exactly are you going?"

"Well, we don't actually know." Ruby smiled awkwardly "We're going to track down the White Fang's headquarters and get their help."

"But they're criminals and-" The blonde paused his questioning and shook his head "Never mind. It's your mission, given by the headmaster himself. You know what you are doing, Ruby."

The redhead opened a bright smile to her friend, who smiled back.

"I think what you are doing is amazing." He confessed "I mean, we were first year students, but now you are carrying out important tasks. It's so cool. And I can't think of anyone better to do that."

"Wow. Thank you, Jaune!" Ruby blushed a little "But you guys are important too. We'll need everyone's help to defeat the Dark." She shook her head and looked him in the eyes "We might be doing different things now, Jaune… But when the time comes, we'll stand together. I know it. And I won't let anything hurt you."

Jaune blinked. The determination in her eyes, the serious tone in her voice… It was like a side of Ruby he had never seen before. Or maybe he had always seen it, but it was always offset by her other, brighter side… Either way, he was even more impressed.

"I'll do the same." He said seriously "We are leaders, the both of us. It's our mission to protect our teams."

"It's not a mission…" She answered "It's a duty to our friends."

Jaune nodded silently. Ruby smiled and went back to her room, leaving him standing in the hallway, dazed by the conversation.

-x-

"H-hi."

The goat faunus looked up from his meal. It was a cold day, and he had been standing outside since the early morning hours. He was definitely not in the mood for chatting.

Blake smiled nervously, making sure it looked convincing enough. She was holding her left arm close to her body, as if she was trying to hide it from view, while keeping her other close to her chest. She was the perfect image of a scared, desperate young woman.

"What do you want?" The man asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I-I heard you are a W-White Fang associate." She whispered frightfully.

The man frowned and looked around them. He was sitting on a bench in front of a store in Vale. People were walking in the streets hurriedly, as if they were in danger, which was technically true, but they could still hear them talking and denounce them to the police.

"You're lucky you said that not too loudly." He warned in a low tone "Why do you want to talk with someone like me?"

"I need refuge." She said, looking at the ground "I-I was- I… Some humans…" Blake forced herself to cry "They got me a-and…"

"Okay. I've heard enough." He interrupted. Apparently, her act was enough to convince him to be helpful "I can get you somewhere good. Come with me."

He stood up and entered the store. Blake shot a discreet look to the street's corner, where Yang was leaning against a building, looking like a young inutile vagabond. The blonde stared back at her less subtly, asking a silent question.

The brunette nodded, hoping that her teammate would understand nothing was wrong, before following the man inside. Apparently, it was a liquor store.

_A good disguise, I suppose. Not many people frequent these places in Vale, and I imagine those that do wouldn't be the type to rat the White Fang out._ Blake thought.

"Wait a second." The goat faunus asked, moving behind a counter. He opened a compartment and rummaged through some objects "I can get you a clearance for a base to the north of Vale. It isn't much, but it's better than suffering in this damned city."

"W-wait." She protested "I don't wanna go to a b-base! I want to be _real_ safe. Like, in the headquarters or s-something."

The man looked at her for a few seconds before messing with the compartment again. His eyes shone briefly, as if he recognized something, and then he closed it.

"All right. This is not a normal procedure, but I can get you to the headquarters." He conceded "But first you gotta come with me to get some stuff in the basement."

"The basement?" Blake repeated, faking her alarm, although she was also truly apprehensive about that. She was sure she could take on the man, but maybe he had other people waiting down there.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't hurt a fellow faunus in need." The man insisted gently "But I need to register this officially and get you the clearance that I hold in the basement. I keep the really incriminatory stuff there, you know? I can't just shove them in a counter compartment like the other things."

"Okay." She answered hesitantly.

He smiled warmly and opened a trap door beneath him. He jumped down and then looked up at her. She followed him, landing gracefully on what seemed to be dirt.

"Do you think we are dumb?" The goat faunus asked angrily.

Blake jumped up and away from him, taking notice of her surroundings. It was not an actual basement, but more of a place that had been opened right beneath the house. She narrowed her eyes when she spotted what seemed to be manacles in one of the rocky walls.

"Our leader has already warned us about you, Belladonna." He revealed "There's a pretty sizable offer for your delivery. Alive, of course… But there was nothing saying I couldn't have some fun with you."

"That's very charming." She mocked "Do you think _I'm_ dumb? I came prepared."

"Oh, sure. Nice pointy stick you got there." He laughed "You're missing an arm, kid, and you must be barely heavier than a twig. I can break you with one hand."

"I see you underlings haven't gotten any smarter." Blake insulted.

The criminal roared, offended at that remark, and rushed at her. The cat faunus waited patiently, a hand on her hilt, and then sidestepped at the last second. She drew her new sword and slashed the back of his right knee, making him fall to the ground.

"You bitch!" He shouted, jumping up.

He extended a hand, trying to grab her face, but she melded into the shadows and circled him. Blake hit him in the back of his head, knocking him to the ground again.

"Stay down this time. I don't want to hurt you." She said truthfully "I don't know you, and you don't know me. Why should we fight?"

"Because you're a deserter!" He exclaimed, sitting up and moving away from her "You abandoned your own kin!"

"I didn't do that. My kin isn't the White Fang, or the faunus. It's everyone in Remnant." Blake answered "I left because all we did was hurt other people, just because we were told to."

"The humans would do the same to us. We're only paying them back with the same currency: blood!"

The girl crouched beside him and frowned.

"Really? And what happens after you pay up? When does the debt end?"

"It doesn't." He muttered somberly.

"Yes, it does." She refuted "It ends when everyone is dead, because we were too stubborn to recognize our own mistakes. The Dark will probably kill us, but if it doesn't… Men and faunus will decimate each other."

The man stared at the ground silently for a few minutes, rubbing his head slowly. Then he finally arrived at a conclusion.

"You're right." He admitted "I'm sorry, but I have no knowledge of the headquarters' location. Adam Taurus doesn't want anyone to know, the world being the way it is now."

"Adam Taurus." Blake repeated "He's the leader."

"Yes. The old boss died a few years ago. That redhead demon took his place in no time." The man told.

The brunette got up, processing the information.

_Well, I was going to deal with him anyway._ She realized. _This means we get two birds with one stone_.

"Do you need help?" She asked "I hurt your leg pretty bad."

"It's not deep. I'll heal just fine." He assured "This injury will hurt more on my conscience. Thank you for your words."

"Thank you for listening. If everyone does the same as you, we can build a better world."

She smiled, lifting the trapdoor and getting back up to the store.

_A world I'll be happy to live in._

-x-

"She should have come back by now!" Weiss insisted, sitting on a bench in a Vale park.

Ruby sighed, sitting beside her friend.

"Blake knows how to handle herself." She reminded.

"I know that, but…" Weiss looked at her lap, frowning "What if she isn't really ready?

"You know her better than anyone." The redhead refuted "She won't give up, even after losing an arm."

"It's not about giving up!" The once-heiress protested "It's about being physically incapable!"

She was about to continue her ranting, but stopped when a shadow feel upon her. Blake glared at her playfully.

"Physically incapable?" She smirked "Why would you say that after so many nights?"

"That's not what she meant!" Ruby said, embarrassed at her friend's insinuations "Just tell us what you found out."

Blake nodded, knowing the time for joking was small.

"I didn't learn the location of the headquarters, unfortunately." She revealed "I had a brief confrontation with the informant, but he came to his senses. He actually doesn't know anything."

"That's a bummer." The leader commented.

"I did learn that Adam Taurus is the current leader of the White Fang."

"Really?" Weiss asked, caught off guard by the revelation.

"I'm not surprised. Adam is the kind to want and get power." The faunus sighed "He probably murdered the old leader himself."

Ruby gulped.

"That's the guy we're going to fight." She said, imagining how ruthless of a warrior he must be.

"He is very dangerous. I can confirm that fact." Weiss added.

"We can take him." Blake assured.

Their friends didn't know, however, that she didn't really intend for all of them to fight Adam. That fight was hers, and hers alone. She was about to say something else, but was interrupted by her redhead friend.

"Cinder?" Ruby called.

The young woman from the dance stepped close to them, standing beside Blake. She was wearing a short red dress, with subtle fiery decorations on its borders.

"Hello, Ruby." She said, and then smiled politely to the faunus and Weiss "I'm afraid we haven't been introduced. I'm Cinder Fall."

"Weiss." The once-heiress greeted back "And Blake Belladonna."

"Pleased to meet you." Cinder spoke "I assume you are on a mission." She smiled to Ruby "One of Ozpin's special tasks?"

The redhead nodded.

"We're gathering allies. Right now we're trying to figure out-"

"Wait." Blake interrupted, giving her leader a worried look "I don't mean to be rude, but we shouldn't really be discussing this so openly."

"And with strangers. I understand." Cinder realized, not offended at all "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude, it's just that… I have an interest in your missions too. As you know, not everyone is willing to trust your headmaster right now, but I'm not one of these people. I want to help in whatever way I can."

Ruby looked between her teammates and Cinder. Weiss seemed curious about the woman, and Blake looked conflicted.

"I can't demand anything from you." Cinder acknowledged "But maybe I can help you. I have many contacts, and I can handle myself in a fight."

"That is an understatement." Ruby commented, and then looked at her faunus teammate pleadingly "Blake?"

"Okay." The younger brunette sighed "We're trying to track down the White Fang. I believe part of them can be very helpful in the battle against the Dark."

"Oh. That is very fortunate." Cinder smirked "I have connections with them. They change headquarters every few months, but it should be no problem finding out where their current one is located."

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"You have connections with the White Fang?" She asked, starting to distrust her "How do we know you're not tricking us?"

"You can't know that." Cinder said "But would I acknowledge that if I was trying to trick you?"

"You could be tricking us further by saying _that_." Blake noted.

"Then you'll accompany me to my informants with your weapons pointed at my back." The older woman decided.

The three teammates shared a few glances, and then nodded, agreeing to that plan. Cinder frowned.

"You're only three." She realized "Where's your fourth member?"

"That's a good question!" Ruby exclaimed, looking around desperately "Where's Yang? Blake, did something happen to her?"

The faunus smirked.

"She fell asleep on the street." She admitted "I let her stay that way. Turns out your sister makes for a very convincing vagabond."

-x-

After waking up Yang, who was very ashamed of herself, and explaining the situation to her, the team made their way to the northeast district of Vale, led by Cinder. Blake and Weiss were confused at that direction: surely the White Fang would have moved their center of operations in the city after the two had fought them there.

"Are you sure about this, Cinder?" The faunus asked suspiciously "I tracked this place down before and caused a mess for them. The White Fang might be stubborn, but they're not careless."

"Trust me." The woman answered confidently "We're going to the right place."

"Or you're leading us into a trap." Blake said bluntly.

"If I wanted to cause you harm, I would have done so when you were separated." Cinder stated and nodded to Yang "I think I can take three of you, but four… Hopefully we'll never have to find out."

"You are making excuses, and very obviously at that." Weiss joined in.

"It's a bit late to voice your concerns. We're here."

The older brunette raised a hand, making the Huntresses-in-training stop in their tracks. They were standing in a narrow alley, and ahead of them was the same storeroom from the night Blake had run away.

"Stay here." She ordered "Keep your weapons aimed at me, if it pleases you."

The girls looked at Ruby, and the redhead nodded her head quietly and unfolded her scythe. She shot Cinder an apologetic look before aiming her sights at her.

Cinder smirked and started walking towards the storeroom. There were grunts scattered around the area, not many, since it was daytime, but still a formidable defense. However, none of them looked at her for more than a few seconds, as if they were afraid of her.

She arrived in front of the storeroom and looked at one of the guards.

"I need to talk with your boss."

The grunt gulped and entered the place, and after a few minutes, another man came out of it. He didn't wear a mask, in contrast to his subordinates, and had a symbol of his position on his uniform.

"Cinder Fall." He greeted "It is a pleasure to meet with you again."

"Of course it is." She responded slowly "But I am not here to exchange pleasantries. I need the location of your main headquarters."

"I am terribly sorry." The man said, his face souring "I have direct orders not to reveal that information to anyone, even you."

"I understand."

The boss smiled, relieved that she had been so accepting. However, he shouted in surprise when Cinder extended a hand and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. She lifted him up and slammed him against the wall, staring him in the eyes.

"A-are you crazy?!" He exclaimed, alarmed by the sudden aggression.

"No. _You _are crazy." She sighed "You don't really know me, so I'll give you another chance. Tell me where your headquarters are located."

"Never!" The faunus shouted "Shoot her!"

The grunts aimed at her with their guns and started firing. Cinder smirked, dropping the man and extending her hands to her sides. A barrier of red Dust surrounded them, blocking all of the bullets.

She waited a few seconds for the barrage to stop, and then aimed her right hand at the White Fang leader. Her palm started to glow, and a ball of fire appeared in front of it, almost touching the criminal's nose.

"Okay, okay!" He yelled, frightened "The headquarters are in Mountain Glenn! Just don't hurt me!"

"Tell your men to lower their weapons." Cinder ordered.

The boss waved at his subordinates urgently, and they lowered their guns quickly. Cinder looked back at the alley and signaled for team RWBY. The girls walked to her, Blake still vigilant for any tricks that might be pulled by the mysterious woman.

"The headquarters are in Mountain Glenn." Cinder relayed "You can do whatever you want with these people."

"Let's leave them unharmed." Blake suggested "They're not doing anything bad in the city, and it's just a matter of time before their leader is changed."

"Agreed." Ruby said, and then stuck out her tongue to the criminals "You got your butts kicked!" She then frowned confusedly "Actually, she didn't even touch you… But that just means you suck even more!"

"I think they've been humiliated enough for one day, sis." Yang stepped in and started dragging the redhead away.

Weiss rolled her eyes and followed the sisters. Cinder looked at Blake expectantly.

"Do you trust me now?"

"No." The faunus sighed "You can come with us. It's Ruby's decision, and I trust _her_. But I'll be watching your every step."

"Of course." Cinder smirked "I wouldn't expect anything less."

-x-

** THE PLOT THICKENS (or something).**

** Reviews! (BTW, chap 19 was crazy to post. I had to reupload it 3 times, I think, until it finally showed up regularly.)**

** Ihavenoidea! I guess Weiss could call herself Blake's left hand... But I think she would think it would be kinda insensitive (even if Blake doesn't give a damn). Also, there are some things about women that even seven sisters can't teach you, so give Jaune a break (not a big one, he still is so dense he would hit ocean floor in record time). Thank you for reviewing!**

** Lojzek! No, don't hate on Cinder ): It's not like we actually know any of her true backstory... What we do know is that she has a sexy voice (which is a positive thing in my world). Thank you for reviewing!**

** Strategist! I SHALL REVEAL NO SECRETS! MY PRECIOUS SPOILERS! Ruby's innocence has been chipped away slowly by her living with Yang... Monochrome was the hammer strike that finally shattered it. But the pieces must be collected! Thank you for reviewing!**

** Cyborg! I am going to answer the trailers question safely: they did not happen. Black doesn't fit Blake's backstory in this fanfic, White and Yellow are stuff that canon has not fully explained (like the knight fight, and who Yang was looking for)_, _and Red is too inconsistent with Ruby's backstory here. Also, the girls didn't actually get into Blake's dreams. She just heard Weiss while she was asleep, and also Weiss and Yang's conversation about her, so that reflected into her subconscious or something like that. Adam appeared too because THOU PAST SHALL NEVER LEAVE THEE. Thanks for reviewing!**

** Humongous thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_! Dust be with you!**

**-Zeroan**


	21. Embers in the night

The school's border with the Emerald Forest was quiet that night. The most exciting event was the sight of a few Ursa stepping outside the woods, but they hadn't ventured out any further than a couple of meters.

To most of the residents of Beacon, that meant they could have a peaceful night of sleep. A select few, however, abhorred this monotonous state of affairs.

"Reeeen!"

The Aura adept jumped in surprise, almost dropping his weapons. He looked to his side and met eyes with the ever-impatient Nora Valkyrie.

"What is it, Nora?" He sighed.

"This is boring!" She complained, clutching her hammer forcefully.

"I know." Ren conceded "But we need people on guard duty at all times. Another sneak attack would be nothing short of a disaster."

Nora pouted, understanding his reasoning but not willing to give up so easily.

"Guard duty doesn't _have to_ be boring." She decided "Can't we have some fun, Ren? It's not like there's any Grimm around."

"Okay." He agreed, knowing his partner wouldn't stop trying to convince him until he did "But what kind of fun can we have on guard duty? It's the middle of the night, Nora. We can't wake anyone up with your usual explosions."

The orange-haired girl averted her gaze coyly and blushed.

"Well…" She whispered "Everyone is getting together now… Like Jaune and Pyrrha, and Weiss and Blake…" She looked at him again and smiled "Why don't we get together-together?"

"Oh." Ren said, at a loss for words. He certainly wasn't ignorant of how she felt about him, and he felt the same way about her, but he hadn't been expecting something like this to happen anytime soon "I mean… If you want to…"

Nora dropped her hammer and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and then caught his lips with hers. After a few seconds, she backed away and looked at him expectantly.

"Did you like that?" She asked.

"Yes." He admitted "It was unexpected, but nice."

"Do you want even _more_ unexpected things?"

Ren's eyes widened. He was once again surprised by his partner's actions. Thinking about it now, however, it was curious Nora hadn't tried anything like this sooner, considering her electric personality.

Before he could answer, he felt a buzz in the back of his mind. Ren blinked, not being able to identify the problem in the middle of this unusual situation.

"Ren?" Nora called, frowning "Did I scare you?"

"Something's wrong." He answered briefly.

The orange-haired girl was about to shout indignantly at him, but a figure suddenly smashed into her, knocking her to the ground. She yelled in panic, having dropped her weapon moments before.

Nora looked up and met face-to-face with a primal Grimm. Its form was masculine, with a bulky physic that made it unable for her to lift him away from her. The monster roared and lifted a hand, prepared to claw at her neck.

Its plan was halted by Ren, who moved quickly to it and slashed its claw off with a clean slice with Storm Flower. The beast got up and tackled him, sending him flying away.

Ren rolled on the ground and saw as the beast ran toward him. He held his stance, prepared to catch his opponent in a weak spot when it got near him. However, the Grimm suddenly stopped and stomped on the ground, sending a wave of rocks that hit him, not causing much damage, but stunning him.

Before the monster started running again, it was hit in the back with an explosion.

"Come on, you ugly ape!" Nora called angrily "Dance for the queen!"

She shot again with her grenade launcher, hitting the beast directly. It was involved in a smokescreen, and the girl smiled victoriously, assuming it had died under the second attack. However, it ran out of the smoke and clawed her stomach.

Nora gasped, feeling her Aura drop quickly at the strength of the attack. Thinking quickly, she changed Magnhild back to its hammer form and swung at the Grimm, but it lifted an arm, and with it a wall of stone rose from the ground, blocking the strike just in time.

The beast jumped toward her and bit her in the shoulder, setting its teeth deep in her flesh. She screamed painfully and dropped her weapon, her vision gradually turning black.

Ren rejoined the fight and buried his blades on the Grimm's back. The monster shouted, releasing the girl from its mouth, and she fell to the ground with no strength left in her. Then it turned and hit the boy in the face, making him drop immediately too.

It roared and lifted an arm, prepared to finish off his prey. Fortunately, a blade suddenly flew to it and buried itself in its chest. Eleven more followed, pinning him in different parts of its body, paralyzing it.

"You are _not_ hurting these people!" Penny appeared, stepping heavily towards the Grimm "You are an _evil_ monster, so you don't get to apologize."

She flexed her arms, and the blades flew back to her. The Grimm whined and began to run away limping, but Penny extended a palm toward it, hitting it with a green laser beam that cut a hole through its torso. The monster screamed once more before turning into smoke.

The robot girl knelt down beside Nora and frowned.

"I was too late." She realized sadly "But you'll be okay. I'm not a doctor, but I'll get you to one in no time!"

-x-

"_This_ is the mountain we'll have to climb?!"

Weiss threw her arms up in defeat and shook her head.

"How do you expect us to do such a thing?" She asked "This has to be impractical in all ways."

"Come on, Weiss. We already explained why we are doing things this way." Yang sighed "The only other route to the city on Mountain Glenn is by plane or helicopter, both of which would make our presence known to the White Fang."

"So what?" The once-heiress exclaimed indignantly "We'll just fight them if they bother us first!"

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way." Cinder joined in "We don't stand a chance against so many. The only way we can succeed is by using the element of surprise."

Weiss opened her mouth to complain again.

"Stop whining, Weiss." Ruby interrupted coldly.

The white-haired girl lowered her shoulders in defeat. If even their leader was tired of her attitude, there was no way she could get her way. Blake kissed her in the cheek and smiled consolingly.

"It's not that long of a walk." The faunus encouraged "I'll carry you a third of the way. Deal?"

"No deal. You can't carry anyone with only one arm." Weiss accused "Also, you can't fly."

"She sure can make _you_ fly, though." Yang shouted gleefully.

"Shut up, Xiao Long!" The once-heiress shot back angrily "Get over us, or I'll start thinking you're jealous!"

"Maybe you want me to be jealous." The blonde suggested, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Ruby groaned and parted from her team until she was walking beside Cinder. The older warrior smiled amusedly when she saw the redhead's disturbed expression.

"That's quite the team you've got there." She commented.

"They are the best." Ruby agreed "I sure could use less of that type of joking, though."

"Do you care that much?" Cinder asked curiously "I think a girl of your age shouldn't be ashamed of these topics."

"I'm not ashamed. I just don't think it's the most important thing in the world." The redhead answered "Do you care, Cinder?"

The brunette smirked.

"Not really. I haven't had time for relationships, or even anything lesser than that." She admitted.

"Wow, really? You haven't had any relationships?!" Ruby exclaimed, surprised by that claim "But you're so awesome and- Never mind." The leader blushed "Forget my last phrases, okay? And don't tell-"

"I _knew_ you were interested in her!" Yang yelled excitedly.

The younger sister's face reddened even more and she ran several meters forward, parting from the whole group. She put on her hood and crossed her arms, just wanting to disappear for a while.

Yang smiled and stepped near Cinder.

"You didn't break her heart, right?" She joked.

"No. Even if I was going to do that, you have already stopped me." The brunette smiled "You're interesting to me. So cheerful and carefree. I've never met someone like you before…"

"Of course you haven't. I am a ray of sunlight, the most beautiful of all." The blonde said playfully, but then she frowned "Wait… Did you just try to seduce me or something?"

"I would never do such a thing!" Cinder answered hurriedly, but after a few seconds, she spoke again teasingly "If I was trying, however, would it have worked?"

Yang smiled widely.

"I think you and I are going to get along fantastically."

-x-

Jaune stood in front of the infirmary's door, afraid of what he might find inside. Seeing Blake missing one arm had been frightening, but at least it hadn't been too savage: her injury had been clean and neat, at least. But Nora was actually _bitten_, and he had no idea what state she would be in.

Pyrrha was at his side, and she noticed his hesitation immediately. She smiled faintly to him and pushed the door open. What they found was surprising: Nora was sitting in her bed in a gown, with bandages covering her right shoulder, and Ren was in a chair beside her. They were both smiling happily, as if nothing was wrong.

"Well… That's a relief?" Jaune muttered confusedly.

"Jaune, Pyrrha! You came to see me!" The orange-haired girl yelled delightfully "Come here, I wanna hug you two!"

"Can we do that?" Pyrrha asked worriedly "Isn't your arm all sensitive right now?"

"I'm doing all right. Luckily the Grimm didn't get to the shaking viciously part of biting…" The injured assured "I want hugs!"

"Don't listen to her." Ren warned "The doctor was very clear: no fighting, no running, and no hugging."

"Aw." Nora pouted, and then she looked at her partner expectantly "But kissing is allowed, right?"

"Maybe later." The Aura adept shook his head amusedly.

Pyrrha crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow curiously.

"So you guys are _officially _together-together now?" She asked.

"Yes!" Nora answered immediately, and then stuck her tongue out to Jaune "And we're not afraid to say it, unlike you lovebirds!"

"Huh. We're not afraid." Jaune refuted, frowning "Maybe we just don't need to announce our together-togetherness."

"That's not right." Ren said, and then he smirked "Or in usual teenager talk, that's bullshit."

"Teenager talk doesn't suit you." The blonde deflected "I'm gonna get lunch now."

He left the room, not making any eye contact with his partner. Pyrrha frowned, clearly unnerved by his attitude.

"Haven't you guys talked, or anything?" Nora asked in a disturbingly even tone of voice.

"No…" The redhead admitted "I thought everything was pretty clear to both of us." She sighed "Well, I hope you get better soon, Nora. I'll go eat something too."

Pyrrha smiled faintly and left the room too. Nora looked at Ren and rolled her eyes.

"_Teenagers_."

-x-

The way to their destination was a tricky one: the city had been built on top of Mountain Glenn, to the southeast of the kingdom, to expand the capital's borders. However, the remoteness of the location had been its downfall: it was too distant and hard to approach, and when the Grimm overran it, help came too late. That incident had stopped all further attempts at expansion from Vale.

Occasionally, groups of Hunters were sent to make sure the Grimm population in Mountain Glenn wouldn't become a major threat to the rest of the kingdom, but they were always flown in by helicopters or planes. Since that was not an option for RWBY, they had to take the long, arduous trail up the mountain.

They had covered at least a third of the road by the middle of the first day, but they soon realized that had been the easy part of the expedition. The trail grew gradually rougher and harder to identify, so much that the girls now wished they had agreed with Weiss before they started the journey.

But the white-haired girl was now determined to not show weakness: she hadn't complained at all since they began, holding her chin high and keeping her eyes on the road. After a while, Blake noticed how her girlfriend's pace was slowing, and sighed loudly.

"Blake?" Weiss called, frowning worriedly "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." The faunus answered evenly, but then her steps faltered and she almost fell "Well, maybe really tired."

"Hey! We need to stop!" The once-heiress yelled to her friends.

Yang looked back and smiled.

"Finally. I thought you would have given up sooner." She taunted.

"It's not for me." Weiss refuted "Blake needs to rest, or her legs will fall off."

"Losing limbs is not fun, I can say that from experience." Blake agreed.

"Okay. I'll tell Ruby we're stopping." Yang said and urged her pace to catch up with her sister.

Weiss nodded and grabbed her partner by her arm, dragging her along until she sat her against a tree. The faunus smirked at her, but the white-haired girl just crossed her arms in disappointment.

"You should have stayed in Beacon, Blake." She spoke softly "I know you want to fight, but you're not ready. Not so soon… You should be in bed, waiting to get a prosthetic, and after a few years, you would be ready to be a Huntress."

"We may not have a few years." Blake reminded as she caressed her left arm "Besides, I can't leave all of you. And, maybe this will sound a bit crazy, but…" The brunette sighed "I don't want a prosthetic… Maybe this injury is one I shouldn't recover from."

"Again with this?" The once-heiress said exasperatedly "You don't need to punish yourself. What will it take for you to get that notion out of your head?"

"Not a prosthetic arm." The faunus answered jokingly "Maybe after this is all over, I'll get one, okay? So just rest with me for now."

Weiss shook her head, but obeyed her wish, sitting beside her girlfriend and resting her head against her shoulder. Cinder watched them from afar, and after a few minutes, approached them.

"You know, there is one other alternative to your problem…" She started.

"What, healing magic?" Blake deadpanned, still not trusting the older girl too much.

"…You can call it that, I suppose." Cinder realized "Although the correct term is Life Dust."

The faunus's cat ears shot up, demonstrating her interest at what she was being told. Weiss lifted her head and looked at Cinder curiously.

"I know about that." The white-haired girl said "There are, or were, seven types of Dust: Fire, Ice, Earth, Wind, Lighting, Time, and Life. That last one, however, doesn't exist anymore. Reserves were exhausted centuries ago."

"That is true, although even when there were reserves, that Dust was rare." Cinder agreed "Life Dust was the first type discovered, and it was probably the one used to combat the Dark the first time. That may have been what lowered its quantity in the first place."

"You sound very experienced in this topic." Weiss noted "Also, you fight using Dust in ways that are practically impossible even to masters."

The older brunette nodded and lifted her arms up. Red Dust gathered around her hands, and in each one a black sword materialized.

"My body was infused with Fire Dust when I was very young. It was a dangerous procedure, but it turned out successful." She revealed "I can form and manipulate Dust with no dependence on outside sources, and my natural strength, speed and reflexes were also enhanced."

"That sounds very useful." Blake commented "Why haven't more people tried that?"

"The risks are too great, ranging from death to permanent deficiencies. For every successful procedure, there are dozens of failed ones." Cinder admitted "And still, I suffer side effects…" She made the sword disappear and looked at the ground somberly "If the choice was presented to me, I would give up this power."

Blake nodded slowly, growing a sense of respect and admiration towards the Dust warrior.

"I was wrong to judge you so harshly, Cinder." She apologized "I have also suffered from decisions made in my childhood."

"The past never truly leaves anyone." Cinder agreed, and then smirked "But you have learned how to live with that knowledge. You weren't truly tired, were you?"

"No." Blake answered and smiled to her girlfriend "Sometimes Weiss is too stubborn, so I had to take a drastic measure so she would rest."

"You… scoundrel!" The once-heiress exclaimed, but she couldn't even manage to fake her anger. She smiled back and kissed the faunus "Thank you."

Cinder walked away, leaving the two alone. She opened a hand discreetly and formed a small flame on top of its palm.

_I've earned their trust…_ She thought somberly. _I'll do it today, tonight… Or tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow will be fine_.

"Hey, Cinder!"

The brunette flinched and closed her hand in reflex, dissipating the fire in the process. She looked up quickly, sure that someone had spotted her suspicious behavior, but was relieved when she saw Ruby and Yang walking up to her calmly.

"We're stopping here until tomorrow. No point in getting to the city if we're exhausted." The redhead told "I'm gonna warn Weiss and Blake. You two _rest_, okay?"

"Sure, _mom_." Yang answered playfully.

Ruby rolled her eyes and left the two. As soon as she was far enough to not hear them, the blonde grabbed Cinder by the shoulders and stared at her seriously. The brunette cursed mentally, assuming she had been discovered after all.

"Cinder, this cannot reach my sister's ears, okay?" The brawler whispered hurriedly.

"What?" Cinder muttered confusedly.

"Tomorrow is her birthday. Either she forgot, or she wants everyone to forget." Yang shook her head with disappointment "Ruby's been on overdrive ever since we left Beacon, and I'm sure she's not going to rest tonight. So we are _forcing_ her to celebrate."

The older girl blinked in surprise. She had expected to be beaten up or at least threatened, but she was just being told about a surprise birthday celebration. That was definitely not something she had planned for this trip.

"All right. What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing in particular, just enjoy the occasion." Yang lifted her eyebrows suggestively "My sister seems to enjoy _you_, after all."

Cinder smiled, but the blonde was quick to poke her finger at her face.

"_Don't_ enjoy her." She warned "Or my fists will enjoy your face."

"Understood."

Yang nodded and walked off to talk with her teammates. Cinder watched her go quietly.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

-x-

Jaune stared at the school cafeteria, his mind running wild, trying to solve a difficult dilemma.

_Where do I sit?_

Normally, JNPR had a table of their own that they shared with RWBY, but now that the latter team was out on a mission to save the world (or something like that), Nora and Ren were in the infirmary, and he had left Pyrrha in the dust, Jaune realized there was no clear place for him.

He knew none of the other first year students would accept him, because of his loser reputation, and the older ones also wouldn't fit him in because they were, well, older.

The blonde sighed, realizing he would have to sit alone, but then his face lit up when he noticed someone else also sitting alone in a table, eating quietly. She appeared to be very young, and had short orange hair. Jaune hurried to her table and sat facing her.

"Hello!" He greeted nervously.

The girl looked up from her plate and smiled cheerfully.

"Salutations!" She yelled "Nobody has talked to me for days. Are we friends?"

"Uh… Sure." He answered awkwardly "I'm Jaune. Why hasn't anyone talked to you?"

"I'm not sure." The girl admitted sadly "Maybe it's because I'm not a student, or a robot…"

Jaune frowned confusedly, but after a few seconds, he hit his palm against his forehead.

"Of course! You're Penny!" He said "I didn't recognize you, sorry. You saved my teammate, Nora Valkyrie, last night."

"I couldn't stop her from getting hurt." Penny stared at her lap somberly.

"Hey, it's okay. We're all grateful you were there to help." Jaune consoled her "You were pretty brave. I think everyone who doesn't wanna talk to you is dumb."

"Thank you, Jaune! You are a great friend!" The robot smiled cheerfully.

The boy smiled back, but as he looked the side, the expression faded. Pyrrha was standing there, looking halfway between confused and angry.

"Uh… This is Pyrrha, my partner." Jaune introduced slowly "And this is Penny… You know, the one who saved our friend's life?"

"Oh." The redhead said "It's a pleasure to meet you, Penny. Thank you for rescuing Nora."

"It was just my duty." The robot answered.

"Even if you think so, I'm still grateful. I don't know what I would have done if Nora had-"

Pyrrha paused as she touched Penny's shoulder and she felt an electric feeling run up her arm. The redhead gasped and stepped back, her face frozen in shock.

"Are you all right?" The orange-haired girl asked with alarm.

"I-I'm sorry. My Semblance is magnetism, so when I touched you…" The redhead shook her head repeatedly "I'm _so_ sorry."

"It's all right, friend!" Penny yelled and hugged Pyrrha, wanting to show she didn't care about the Semblance.

Jaune smiled, happy that he had made a new friend, and also relieved that whatever Pyrrha had been mad about was forgotten by her.

_Robots are real life-savers_. He thought amusedly.

-x-

"Congratulations!"

Yang lifted her sister up in the air gloriously while Weiss and Blake cheered near them. The redhead rolled her eyes, annoyed at the unwanted surprise they had planned for her, but she decided to just go along with it and make them happy.

"Sweet sixteen!" The blonde yelled happily "You're now legally allowed to drink alcoholic beverages and have sex!"

"…Yay?" Ruby responded meekly.

"…You're allowed to enlist in the army?" Weiss offered tentatively.

"Uh, we're Huntresses-in-training." The leader noted "Thanks for the effort, though." She looked down at her sister, annoyed "Can I get down now?"

Yang laughed, put Ruby back on the ground and patted her on the shoulder.

"Now you have to make a wish, sis, while the stars are still out." She recommended.

"That's dumb." The once-heiress commented.

"Shush, Weiss." Blake reprimanded "Don't ruin the moment."

Ruby smiled as she looked up at the sky above, filled with hundreds of stars. She didn't even need to consider her wish for too long…

_I wish for us to never be separated._

The redhead waited patiently, hoping that a shooting star would pass by. It never came, but she supposed that was a little too much to ask.

"Well, what did you wish?" Yang questioned.

"For Dust's sake, you don't even know this dumb tradition right!" Weiss complained "She's supposed to keep it a secret, or else the wish won't come true."

"If that's the case…" Ruby said slowly "I wish Yang never stops teasing me!"

"Nope, sis, you can't change your wish." The blonde hugged her sister "Happy birthday, Ruby."

The brawler let her go and nodded before walking away to rest. Blake stepped in and embraced the redhead.

"Congratulations." She said softly "You've been working very hard, Ruby. Slow down a little, for us, okay?"

"I can't do that." The leader answered honestly "Thanks for being awesome, Blake."

The faunus stepped back and followed Yang. Weiss stood in front of Ruby, looking at her hesitantly, before opening her arms in defeat.

"I will allow a hug." She said proudly.

"Yay!" Ruby squealed and hugged the once-heiress.

After a few seconds of that, Weiss coughed and backed away from the embrace. She smiled warmly to her teammate before going after her girlfriend.

Ruby looked to the sky again, content despite the unwanted attention. She had been so invested in her training and mission that she had forgotten her own birthday. Maybe she should listen to Blake's advice and slow down a bit.

The redhead frowned and shook her head.

_No! I can't let my guard down. Not until everyone is safe._

She jumped in frighten when an explosion occurred in front of her. Ruby unfolded her scythe in reflex and pointed it ahead, but then she gasped. There was fire levitating above the ground, and as she watched, it formed the figure of a rose, and beside it, the number sixteen.

"Happy birthday, Ruby Rose."

Cinder put an arm around the younger girl's shoulders and smiled at her. The redhead blinked a few times before smiling back.

"Thank you, Cinder."

She looked back at the flaming drawings in wonderment, taking in all the subtle details that had been formed. The brunette looked at her slyly, noticing how she had lowered her guard completely.

_I could kill her right now, and she wouldn't be able to warn anyone_.

She opened a hand outside the redhead's field of view and gathered Dust around it. However, she stopped the process when Ruby turned to her and hugged her.

"That is really beautiful." She complimented "I'm really grateful you did that for me."

Cinder stood still, her emotions like a savage storm inside her mind.

"I-" The brunette gulped "It was nothing!"

She stepped back from the hug and hurried away. Ruby watched her go amusedly, figuring she was just not accustomed to shows of affection. She shrugged and prepared to rejoin her friends, but once again she was surprised as someone appeared beside her.

"Hello, Ruby." Summer greeted softly, floating a few feet from her.

"Hi, mother." Ruby answered awkwardly. They hadn't spoken for weeks, and their last interactions hadn't been really joyful at all "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know how you were doing." The ghost answered "Has your mission been successful so far?"

"Sure. We've tracked down the White Fang, now we only need to infiltrate their base." The redhead assured.

Summer nodded, and then she looked to the clearing where the team was resting.

"I see Belladonna has recovered, and she's gotten closer to Schnee." She noted "Yang is also fine… But I don't recognize that last one."

Ruby followed her mother's gaze to Cinder, who was sitting away from her other friends, still looking a little shaken.

"That's Cinder." The redhead explained "She's been very helpful. Don't worry, mother, we've already made sure she means no harm to us."

"I will trust your judgment."

Summer looked back at Ruby and forced a smile.

"Congratulations on your sixteenth birthday."

"I wish I could hug you…" The girl admitted, but she smiled cheerfully nonetheless "But it's enough you visited me. I love you, mom."

Summer lowered her head, but her daughter could still see her smile becoming genuine before she disappeared.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart."


	22. Cold side of the flames

Ruby sighed as she finally got close to the gates of the city on Mountain Glenn. It had taken almost two whole days for the group to finish the trip to the top of that place, and they all were exhausted.

The redhead looked behind her. Yang was smiling widely as she looked at the gates, and Weiss's expression was of such happiness it was almost scary. Even Blake, who had not complained once, seemed relieved that the journey was over. The only one not showing her emotions was Cinder, who was walking with serenity a few meters away from the others.

"We're here, finally!" Yang exclaimed after a few moments "So… How do we open these gates?"

"We push them!" The redhead answered immediately, lifting her thumbs up as if she was the smartest person in Remnant.

"As dumb as that sounds, it might actually work." Weiss agreed, shaking her head amusedly "Although we can't just barge in, or we'll waste the element of surprise we sacrificed our feet for."

Blake approached the walls of the city and looked up curiously.

"We need to scout the area past the entrance." She said "I would climb the wall, but there's nothing to hold on to."

"Also you're missing a useful part of your body for climbing." Yang noted, and then she shrugged when Weiss glared at her "Too soon?"

"I'll use Crescent Rose and fire myself up the wall!" Ruby decided.

_I am on fire today!_ She thought proudly. Blake looked at her leader and moved to her side.

"Take me with you." The faunus requested "You don't know what's behind the gates. If there's danger, you'll want someone with you."

"It doesn't have to be _you_." Weiss refuted "Take me, Yang or Cinder."

"This is a scouting mission. If we need to run, I'm the most agile here after Ruby." Blake argued "Unless you can fly, Cinder?"

"I haven't tried." The older brunette responded "But this is not the best time to do it."

Weiss sighed and nodded in defeat. Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and aimed at the ground. She gestured with her head to Blake, who hugged her firmly. The redhead pressed the trigger, and the two went flying up into the air and over the city's walls.

Yang snickered and elbowed Weiss playfully.

"Did that make you jealous?" She teased "The way Blake held onto Ruby…"

"You really need to find a new obsession." The once-heiress recommended grumpily.

Cinder looked at the two, their backs turned to her. _This is probably my best shot at killing them separately._ She realized. _I'll get Yang first, since she's the toughest. Weiss will be tricky… While I am more powerful, she certainly has more flexibility with her Dust types._

The brunette frowned worriedly.

_Names. Don't use names. They're not people, they're means to an end._

She opened her hands and looked at her palms, shaking slightly. Yang's laughter and Weiss' annoyed answers reached her ears, and she shut her eyes forcefully.

_I need – I can't – I don't – What do I do?_

-x-

Ozpin sat on his desk, as he always did, half bored, half worried, as he always was. He hadn't heard any news from team RWBY since they had left Beacon's grounds. That might mean many things: they could have been attacked and killed in a matter of days, or they just were so successful in their tasks they hadn't felt the need to contact him.

He sighed, realizing one of his many shortcomings: in his enthusiasm to gather allies, he had forgotten to tell the girls to report to him constantly. Now his best chance to know about them was from Summer, and he knew she wouldn't act as his scout-messenger.

Thankfully, his worrying was interrupted by Glynda, who poked her head inside his office.

"Headmaster?"

"Headmaster's assistant?" He shot back amusedly.

"The Schnee Company has finally answered your calls." She relayed, not even giving a fraction of her attention to his usual antics "President Wade is waiting to speak with you via video conference."

"That's great." Ozpin said "Go wash some puppies, or whatever you do in your free time."

He waited for her to leave him alone before answering the call on his computer. Wade Schnee's face appeared on the monitor, and he looked exhausted, as if he was under a heavy burden. When he noticed the video conference had begun, however, he righted his posture and took on a serious-business face.

"Hello, Ozpin." He greeted "It has been a long time since we last talked."

"Indeed." The headmaster agreed "Roughly eight months, when arrangements were being made for Weiss'…" Ozpin shook his head, halting his words before it was too late. He might not be happy about the older Schnee's attitude towards his family, but this was not the time to discuss it "Well, I'm sure you don't want to talk about that."

"Yes." Wade answered evenly, although there was a hint of discontent in his expression "Tell me, Ozpin, why is it that you want to make such a large purchase of Dust? I am no fool, I know about what is happening all around the world… But you already have General Ironwood's soldiers at your side. Isn't their firepower enough for you?"

The headmaster smiled slightly and took a sip of his coffee before answering.

"These soldiers are automatons, Mister Schnee. Robots, if you prefer that term." He explained briefly "They have no spirit, and that is something we can't afford to lack against our enemy."

"Yes… The Dark." Wade nodded slowly "I am not sure if I believe your claims, headmaster. But everything has a reason for happening… Even the greatest evils are founded by something logical." The businessman crossed his arms "You never struck me as someone who would harm other people for personal gain, and much less as someone who can control Grimm behavior. Perhaps your explanation is the really the truth."

"Does that mean you will provide me the Dust?"

"There are still things that need clearing up." The Schnee refuted "If your robots don't have spirit, then Dust won't help them anyway. So I presume you will give it to your students… Which are not so great in number after the battle at your school. An order this size is far too much to supply only them."

Ozpin sighed. It seemed he would have to wander into dangerous territory, after all.

"I am gathering allies as we speak."

"Professional Hunters? They all have their own Dust already." Wade noted.

"Signal Academy…" Ozpin continued, but he could tell by the president's face that he wasn't going to believe in that explanation too "Well, I'll need to supply other people too. Many humans and faunus will join Beacon in the near future."

"…Why did you feel the need to mention the faunus?"

The headmaster shook his head in defeat. He leaned in towards the monitor and looked at Wade seriously, all signs of relaxation gone in a matter of seconds.

"Team RWBY is currently on a mission to recruit the White Fang." He told "That includes your oldest daughter, Weiss Schnee, and Blake Belladonna."

"My family is none of your business, headmaster." Wade answered harshly, dropping all pretenses of friendliness "And do you honestly expect me to deal with someone who wants to ally with bloodthirsty terrorists?"

"Did you know Belladonna lost an arm to save her human friend from harm?" Ozpin asked suddenly "And that when she finally recovered, the first thing she did was search for her team leader, just to make sure she didn't feel guilt about her injury?"

"That's enough." The Schnee warned in a low tone.

The professor narrowed his eyes in cold anger.

"Blake Belladonna put her life on the line to save both of your daughters." He said "That's the girl you beat up and condemned Weiss for being friends with. I am not one to judge, mister Schnee, but I think you're the bloodthirsty ally I want to make."

Wade stared at him, his expression one of pure hatred. He reached a finger for his computer and ended the video conference without another word.

Ozpin sighed, knowing he had lost the chance to make one of the best allies possible. However, he couldn't bring himself to feel very sad about that. He reached for a paper beside him, where he had written down all goals set by him and RWBY.

The headmaster contently crossed off _Schnee Dust_, and then circled _Ally w/ White Fang_. After a few seconds, he then decided to write something more beside that last note.

_Ally w/ White Fang – Really want to be friends with them_.

-x-

Ruby let go of Blake and lowered her head as she quickly fell. She aimed for the top of a building and rolled on it, breaking her fall harmlessly. The redhead got up and pointed her scythe around, making sure she wasn't in immediate danger.

Content with her position, she folded Crescent Rose and looked for her friend, frowning when she didn't appear.

"Blake?" She called worryingly.

"I'm right here."

Ruby jumped, noticing the brunette had been standing right beside her all along.

"S-stop being a ninja!" She complained embarrassedly.

Blake raised an eyebrow amusedly. After a few instants, she regained her usual focus and walked to the building's edge, looking down at the streets below. She could spot several black figures moving leisurely, and she made sure to keep her thoughts in check to not attract their attention.

"There's a lot of Grimm down there." The faunus warned "There's no way to cross the gates without alarming them to our presence."

"I'll act as a personal lift to the others, then." Ruby decided "We'll have to keep to the top of the buildings, just to be safe."

"We might miss the White Fang if we do that." Blake noted "We should scout ahead, find the headquarters, and then reunite with everybody here."

Ruby pondered the problem for a few seconds and then looked at her friend seriously.

"You stay here for now." She said "I know it's dangerous, but I'll be harder to be spotted if I'm alone. You're also a way more recognizable enemy to them."

"…Okay." The brunette conceded. She looked back at the gates thoughtfully "I think I can get up the wall from here on my own. I may be able to bring everyone up here using my ribbon."

"Do that, then." Ruby ordered "Keep everyone here. I'll meet you again soon."

"How much time do we wait before looking for you?" Blake asked worriedly.

The redhead walked to the edge of the building, holding her scythe close to her, her back turned to Blake.

"If I don't come back, go to Beacon." She said firmly "The only thing that will stop me is death, and if it gets me… Well, you don't wanna face whatever killed me."

Ruby jumped down, ignoring the faunus's protests. She rolled on the ground, her Aura protecting her, and immediately broke into a run, leaving a trail of rose petals behind. The Grimm turned their heads towards her, but they saw nothing but a red blur pass by.

After a few blocks, the redhead slowed down when the number of monsters had lowered enough. She stayed close to the buildings so that nothing and no one could spot her easily, and started walking at a careful pace, never relaxing her grip on Crescent Rose.

Ruby stopped completely when she heard a noise distinct from the usual bestial sounds: words, echoing lowly throughout the streets. She lowered her body and moved towards the source of the talking: two White Fang grunts chatting calmly, their backs turned to her. The redhead looked at them for a few seconds before deciding on a course of action and sneaking towards them.

"And I said to her, loud and clear: that ain't a child, it's a demon." One of the soldiers said, gesturing exasperatedly with his hands.

"Damn, that's harsh." The other responded.

"Harsh? You didn't see that baby like I did! If you had, you'd agree with me."

"Still, man, that's your son."

"I am _not_ a demon. That child is not my-"

Ruby jumped behind him and hit him in the head with the blunt side of her scythe's blade, making him fall unconscious to the ground. Before the other one could do anything, the redhead kicked him in the knee, making him lower his body in pain, and then grabbed his shirt by the back with one hand.

She aimed her weapon at the ground and shot a round, soaring up with him. They landed on top of a building, and Ruby dropped him and pointed Crescent Rose at his chest.

"What the fuck is this?!" The man exclaimed.

"Don't scream!" She warned, poking him with her weapon.

"Okay, got it." The grunt answered immediately "What do you want from me?"

"Where's the headquarters?" The redhead narrowed her eyes "Tell me exactly how many blocks I need to go from here, because I'll check personally before letting you go."

The man looked nervously at the streets below, mentally calculating the distance she asked for.

"Seven blocks to the right, three up." He said finally.

"Okay." Ruby nodded "I trust you. I'll bring your friend up here to keep you company."

The grunt blinked confusedly when she jumped down the building and, after a few seconds, came back up carrying the other unconscious man.

"I'll be back tomorrow." The redhead told "Don't try jumping down, your Aura is pretty bad compared to mine." She started towards the edge of the building, but then stopped and looked back at the two criminals "When he wakes up, tell your friend to stop being a jerk and accept the child."

She lifted a thumb and smiled cheerfully.

"Have a good night!"

-x-

Glynda Goodwitch leaned against the wall outside the headmaster's office, leisurely checking the news on her tablet. More reports of Grimm attacks were emerging by the day, and each time they grew more savage. The kingdoms were now completely separated, gathering their people on their capitals and defending them on their own. That might work for now, but the woman dreaded the day the monsters would be too great in number for them to be held back.

Before this crisis, she would almost certainly be pacing and ranting inside Ozpin's office, filling his ears with annoyed concerns while he just agreed amusedly. She had never understood exactly why he acted that way, so relaxed and worry-free about so many problems. But now she thought she understood… Surviving humanity's darkest time and living as the sole reminder of it for thousands of years… It made every other danger seem petty by comparison. The blonde could only imagine how the headmaster felt as his only fear returned in full force.

"Glynda?"

She looked up from the tablet, blinking repeatedly to regain her usual focus of mind. The sight in front of her made her groan mentally.

"James." She greeted coldly "I assume you want to talk with Ozpin."

"Yes, that is my ultimate purpose." The general answered "Although I wouldn't mind if we caught up too."

"I wouldn't chat with you even if we weren't living in the end of the world." Glynda refuted "The headmaster is inside. Do be sensible, though. He's under a lot of stress."

"I see he still has a special spot on your cold heart." James noted.

He flinched at her glare and entered the office, knowing she was already at her limits with him. They had never really gotten along too well, especially after they graduated… But he knew she would accept him in due time.

Ozpin looked up from his papers, his eyes darting everywhere before focusing on the opened door. He smiled widely and stood up, almost jumping in place a few times.

"Hello, Ozpin." Ironwood greeted, and then he looked at his friend's desk "You have six cups filled with coffee… And five more empty."

"Oh, yes! I got tired of refilling the same cup, so I just took all of them at once and made a great reservoir of caffeine!" The headmaster answered quickly "It is good to see you. You know, being here in this office reminds me much of our time in Beacon, and how I would constantly-"

"Right. Maybe you should consider leaving these last cups filled." The general interrupted.

Ozpin looked at the cups of coffee thoughtfully and, after a few seconds, knocked them all to the ground, dirtying the floor with their contents.

"Glynda will clean that. We're in a crisis, after all, so she can't really complain about such petty tasks." The headmaster said "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I have taken a drastic decision, Ozpin." The general sighed "I'm changing my allegiances. A fourth of my troops will stay in Atlas, but all the rest will stay here in Beacon. I will command them by your side."

"That's… unexpected." Ozpin commented, visibly slowing down "What made you take this decision?"

Ironwood crossed his arms and looked away from his friend for a few moments, as if he was hesitant to answer that question. After a while, he shook his head and looked back to him.

"I believe that if anyone is going to survive this war… It will be the people you are with, Ozpin." He admitted "I might have only known you for thirty-five years, and you have lived for thousands… But I trust you, and this is what truly matters these days."

"Thank you, James. I might have lived far longer than anyone else… But I've never fooled anyone because of that." The headmaster smiled and looked to the office's door "Glynda, come in here!"

After a few seconds, the blonde woman entered the room. She first glanced at James, and then at Ozpin, and finally at the pool of coffee on the ground. She sighed tiredly.

"What is it?"

"Good news! James is staying here in Beacon!" Ozpin said cheerfully "Can you find somewhere for him to stay?"

"He can find it by himself." Glynda answered proudly.

The headmaster shook his head.

"This already feels like old times." He frowned "If only Theodore was here…"

"Theodore was a nobody." James reminded.

"He was my partner!" Ozpin said, clearly offended at that remark "…What happened to him anyway?"

Ironwood looked at Glynda inquisitively, and for the first time, she smiled faintly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Who's Theodore?"

-x-

Team JNPR made their way to the school's front. Nora was still recovering, with bandages covering the wounds on her right shoulder, but if it weren't for that, nobody would guess she had been attacked recently. In fact, the only thing stopping her from bolting to the outside campus was her partner's firm grip on her arms.

"Are you sure you're fit to be walking about, Nora?" Pyrrha asked worriedly.

"I am more than fit!" The orange-haired girl exclaimed "If I stay one more day in that infirmary, I'll die!"

"If there is something you really are queen of, it's probably called Dramaland." Jaune joked "Seriously, though, did you get permission to go outside?"

"Well, it wasn't _qualified_ permission…"

Nora looked back, and the two followed her gaze to Ren, who avoided their stares guiltily. The injured girl took advantage of his distraction and got away from his grasp, opening the school's front doors and running outside, laughing like a lunatic all the while. The Aura adept sighed and followed after her in a more composed pace.

Jaune smiled and was about to go with them, but was stopped by his partner's grabbing his arm. He looked at the redhead, who was wearing a serious expression.

"We need to talk, Jaune." She said.

"Uh…" The blonde groaned, trying to find a way out of this predicament "We should make sure Nora doesn't hurt herself first."

"Ren will take care of her. Don't try to run away from me." Pyrrha warned "I've noticed you avoiding me lately, and I know you know I want to talk to you about serious matters. I thought you had left behind this attitude long ago… When you punched Cardin Winchester in the face, remember?"

Jaune noticed her disappointment and finally realized the extent of her discontent with him. Pyrrha rarely showed distaste with people, especially her friends. The only occasion he remembered her showing frustration was when he was dealing with the Cardin problem… And he did not want a repeat of that anytime soon.

"Sorry, Pyrrha." He rubbed his head sheepishly "If there's something you want to talk about, go ahead."

The redhead opened her mouth, but then realized she didn't know how to actually proceed. She had been expecting her partner to argue with her, or just try to avoid the issue even further, so she hadn't really thought of how to approach this. Her inexperience with relationships certainly didn't help either.

"Well… I…" Pyrrha blushed and looked at her feet "I thought after we went to the dance together… We would stay together, you know?"

Jaune blinked, not sure if he had heard her correctly.

"And we've been kinda together, right?" The redhead continued, lifting a hand hopefully "We've been talking a lot, especially out of training… So I thought you just didn't feel the need to say anything about us. But when Nora said that we were afraid…" She looked at him sadly "Are you afraid of being with me, Jaune?"

The boy stared back at her, not sure about how to respond. He did want to be with her, but seeing her so hurt by his actions…

"I'm not afraid of being with you, Pyrrha." He said. The girl's eyes shone with hope, but it faded at his next words "But I don't think we're right for each other… I know you're gonna call me a self-loathing idiot, but I really believe you deserve far more than me."

Pyrrha looked down again, and her shoulders trembled. The boy reached to comfort her, but she looked up again, her eyes teary. However, her expression was not of pure sadness: it was vastly overwhelmed by rage.

"_Fuck you, Jaune!_" She sobbed and punched him in the chest "Do you think everything is about you?! It's not! I liked you because you didn't judge me like others did! I _want_ to be with _you_!" Pyrrha retreated and glared at him, furious like never before "Just because you think you need some sort of worth or significance, that doesn't mean I'm going to wait!"

She walked by him and started to walk towards the dormitory quarters.

"Go on your quest for greatness." She muttered coldly "But I'll already have grandchildren when you find it."

Jaune stood still on the spot, cursing himself mentally.

_I am a jerk. Damnit! Why do I screw everything up?_

He dropped to the ground and sat frustrated on it. He lowered his head embarrassedly when Glynda Goodwitch passed by him, looking at him with clear disappointment, followed by James Ironwood, whose expression was unreadable except for a faint hint of a smirk.

The two exited through the front door, but Jaune's humiliation was not about to end so soon.

"I have seen much heartbreaking in my time, but I think that one takes the cake." Ozpin commented, taking a sip from his coffee "Mind you, I've lived thousands of years."

"Yeah, I got the idea." Jaune muttered.

The headmaster smiled faintly and sat cross-legged by the blonde's side. He took another sip and put the cup on the ground before staring at his student consolingly.

"Do you know why I kept you here after you told me about your cheating the system to enter the academy?" He asked.

"I have no idea." Jaune answered "Why?"

"I also have no idea." Ozpin admitted amusedly "Don't tell this to anyone, but I don't actually know everything that happens in Remnant. Yes, I am a very good judge of character, and I've learned many things in my lifetime, but I am not all-knowing."

Jaune blinked confusedly.

"So you didn't know I cheated to get in?" He asked slowly.

"No. I thought that was impossible." The headmaster shook his head "I don't know why I allowed you to stay. But I never make important decisions just for amusement. I don't regret you staying here, because I saw something in you that made me think you deserved to study in Beacon."

"So… You're telling me I deserve to be here, you just don't know why?"

"Yes."

The teenager threw his arms up in frustration.

"How is that supposed to help me feel better?" He exclaimed.

Ozpin got up and walked to the doors. He opened one and looked at Jaune, taking a long sip of coffee. When he finished, the headmaster smiled enigmatically.

"How am I supposed to know? It's been thousands of years since I was a teenager."

-x-

_"Hey, sunflower."_

_ Cinder opened her eyes, slowly focusing them on the figure looking at her from above. She was woman in her thirties, with dark brown hair running to her lower back and bright, blue eyes. She had a warm smile that made the child feel like nothing could hurt her._

_ "Did you sleep well?"_

_ "I didn't dream, Annie…" Cinder answered sadly "I really wanted to."_

_ "Oh, sweetie, don't feel bad. I'm sure you'll dream when you go to sleep tonight."_

_ The kid crossed her arms and frowned._

_ "You said that yesterday." She complained "And last week, too."_

_ A flame surged near her feet, but the woman was quick to extinguish it with her hands while it was small._

_ "Sorry, love, I didn't mean to upset you." She apologized "But you have to keep hoping, okay? You can't dream if you give up."_

_ Cinder uncrossed her arms and slammed her hands on her bed. Fire erupted around her, and her caretaker jumped back worriedly._

_ "I can't dream! I'm not normal! Stop lying to me!"_

_ "Sweetie, please… Everything's going to be okay."_

_ "DON'T. LIE. TO ME!" The kid shrieked, and in a matter of seconds, the whole house was on fire._

-x-

Ruby watched the streets below from the edge of the building's top. The Grimm had been agitated by her stunt from before, but they were calm now, and there was no sign of the White Fang anywhere.

The group had agreed watch duty was not needed, and the redhead hadn't even argued in favor of it. She just decided to do it by herself, to be extra safe.

After she reunited with everybody, she had shared the location of the headquarters. They were curious about how she had learned that, but she didn't reveal the method she had used, because she knew Blake and Weiss would have found it too careless. Ruby was very confident that nothing would happen because of it, but that wouldn't satisfy them.

_It's not like they had walkie-talkies or anything_. She thought grumpily. _Grunts aren't smart like that_.

The group decided to invade the headquarters the next day, taking a night to rest peacefully and regain their strength. They discovered a door to the apartment below them, and found it abandoned, obviously. Everyone was relieved about being able to sleep in actual beds.

Ruby yawned. Thinking of that made her feel tired… She shrugged and stood up, deciding to sleep for the rest of the night. The redhead found the door to the inside and jumped softly to the apartment.

She landed on the living room, where Yang was splattered comfortably on the sofa, almost falling to the floor. Weiss and Blake had chosen a room for their use, and Ruby made sure to not confound herself and get in there. It would be awkward, to say the least.

The redhead made her way to her room, but she paused when she saw something unusual in the corner of her vision. The last remaining room… There was ice slowly passing through its door, almost like it was freezing inside.

Ruby walked silently to it and opened the door, poking her head inside carefully. The walls of the bedroom were almost completely covered in ice, and the layers grew thicker as they reached the origin of the cold: Cinder, sitting on the ground against a wall, hugging her legs tightly.

The leader rushed to the older girl and knelt beside her. She was sleeping, but her eyes were closed forcefully, as if she was having a nightmare of some sort. Ruby touched her on the shoulder lightly, and she opened her eyes.

Cinder's expression was a mix of many emotions at that moment: shock, desperation, confusion, embarrassment…

"A-Annie?" She whispered.

"It's me." The redhead whispered back "Ruby. I'm your friend."

"Ruby?" Cinder repeated slowly.

The brunette blinked several times, and when she finally regained her full bearings, it looked like she was ready to run away and never return.

"What's wrong, Cinder?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Nothing." The Dust warrior muttered somberly, backing away to the corner of the room "It was just a nightmare, nothing to worry about."

Ruby examined the frozen walls and then looked back at Cinder with a raised eyebrow.

"You froze the entire room during this nightmare. That seems worrisome to me."

"My powers are tied to my emotions." The brunette answered curtly "While I cannot willingly use anything but Fire, sometimes my mood affects my surroundings."

"So…" The leader said slowly "What does Ice mean?"

"…Sadness."

Ruby blinked, realizing that was pretty obvious. But what could make Cinder so sad she would freeze a bedroom?

"What did you dream about?"

"It's none of your business!" Cinder answered, unusually furious.

The redhead frowned and sat beside her friend, eyeing her insistently. The brunette sighed, realizing she wouldn't be left alone until she told Ruby something.

"It was a memory about my childhood." She said softly "The day my caretaker died. It was a horrible accident, and it's been a long time since I last thought of it."

"How old were you?"

"Around seven years old." Cinder answered tiredly.

Ruby nodded understandably and smiled faintly.

"A few months ago, I had this long period of time were I had bad dreams every night." She remembered "It was always the same thing. I met my dead mother, but she was evil. I was so scared I actually stopped sleeping. It affected my studies, my friends…"

Cinder listened patiently, actually interested at that story.

"And I thought that it didn't concern anyone else but me." Ruby continued "I would have gotten in a very bad shape if I continued that way. Thankfully, Blake was there to talk to me… When I shared my fears with her, the dreams stopped."

The redhead smirked.

"I understand if you don't wanna talk about your dreams… But next time you might freeze an entire apartment."

Cinder nodded slowly.

"I'm not ready to share my fears." She said "But I think I won't have another nightmare tonight."

"Well, you can't sleep in here." Ruby noted "Unless you want to be Ice Queen, but that's Weiss' thing."

She got up and offered a hand to Cinder, who took it hesitantly. The two got out of the room, shutting the door behind them. The redhead pointed towards her supposed room.

"Sleep in there." She spoke "I'll use one of the comfy chairs here."

Cinder approached the room, but when she put her hand to open the door, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The brunette lowered her face and stood in silence, ice starting to cover the doorknob.

Ruby rushed to her side and entered the room. She sat on the bed and nodded to Cinder.

"I understand. You don't want to be alone… Sleep with me!" The redhead blushed "I mean, not in the adult variation of the phrase, just, you know, platonic cuddling!"

Cinder smirked amusedly and lay down on the bed. Ruby did the same and, after a few awkward seconds, hugged her from behind. The brunette closed her eyes, a deep sense of comfort luring her to sleep.

_Thank you, Ruby._

-x-

"Penny!"

The robot girl looked behind her and was suddenly hugged by Nora Valkyrie, who was screaming gleefully. After a few moments of confusion, she returned the hug and smiled.

"Nora!" She exclaimed happily "I am filled with joy to see you are okay!"

"That's a weird way to say it!" Nora commented, retreating from the hug "I like it!"

Ren appeared beside the two, panting slightly. He shot his girlfriend an annoyed look before nodding to Penny.

"I am so sorry." He apologized "Nora's not even supposed to be out here. I'll make sure she doesn't annoy you."

The robot crossed her arms defiantly.

"Well, if that's the case…" She said "I will watch over her to make sure she doesn't get hurt!"

"…Thank you, Penny." Ren smiled "You're too kind."

Some distance away, Ironwood and Glynda stood in the campus watching that interaction. The woman looked quizzically at the general.

"That's your daughter?" She asked dryly "She is too cheerful for that to be true."

"I'm not her biological father, of course." James noted "Also, I am capable of happiness. In fact, I am happy right now."

"I suppose the astrological variations are right for that to be true." Glynda deadpanned.

Before the man could retort back, Ozpin appeared beside the two, drinking his coffee while looking at Penny curiously.

"She is very different from other robots." He said "In fact, I think she has spirit, just like we do."

"There is nothing too inherently different about her." James admitted "Her model is more human-like, of course, and she has more advanced technology than the average combat robot, but that doesn't explain her personality."

"You did treat her like your own child…" Ozpin pondered "Perhaps that bond between you two made it so she was able to create a spirit, and consequently, emotions." The headmaster looked at his assistant amusedly "Has your brain overloaded with this impossible situation, Glynda?"

"I think it's more possible the bond resulted in James growing a spirit." The blonde said.

"Well, that's not nice to say about your ex boy-" Ozpin frowned. He looked down at his feet and then shouted "Everybody! We're under attack!"

The ground in the center of the campus burst open, and several Grimm jumped from the hole formed by the phenomenon.

Penny narrowed her eyes and stood in front of her new friends.

"Take Nora inside the school." She ordered.

Ren nodded silently and dragged his partner with him, who looked at the robot worriedly before complying with her wishes.

"You need to learn your lesson, evil monsters." Penny decided.

She raised her arms, and a dozen steel blades floated out of her back and into the air. She threw them forward, catching several of the Grimm with the attack, and quickly followed to the center of the beasts fearlessly.

"Glynda, close the hole." Ozpin said.

"I need to get closer." She responded seriously.

"I'll cut a path for us." James offered "Keep her protected, Ozpin."

The general reached to his belt and drew two large, silvery pistols. He spun them once and then aimed at the Grimm that rushed in their direction. He pressed the triggers, and the weapons shot greens lasers that cut straight through the monsters, killing them easily.

Ironwood began walking forward, clearing a straight path to the hole. Ozpin repelled the Grimm that approached from the sides with his Aura-powered fists, allowing Glynda to concentrate her telekinetic powers on the unnatural entrance.

After a few seconds, the earth around the hole gathered back into it, closing it off for good. With that, no more of the beasts came, and the remaining ones were quickly vanquished by the experienced warriors.

"That was easy." Ozpin commented "Turns out we don't need Theodore after all."

"Yes." Glynda smiled and nodded to James "Your help was welcomed… partner."

"Thank you, lady Goodwitch." The general bowed respectfully.

After that was over, he looked at the battlefield. Penny was standing still some meters away from them, right in front of an Ursa Major. Strangely, though, they weren't fighting, only staring at each other.

James walked to his adopted daughter and touched her on the shoulder.

"You did great, sweetheart." He complimented "Just one last to kill and it will be over."

The girl did not respond, she just kept staring at the Grimm's face. Ironwood frowned and aimed a pistol at the Ursa's head.

"What is happening?" Glynda asked worryingly.

Ozpin looked at the unusual event, as if it reminded him of something… When he finally remembered what, his expression was one of utter panic.

"_Don't shoot_!" He screamed.

It was too late, however. James pressed the trigger, killing the last Grimm instantly. He looked back at his friend quizzically, and noticed as Glynda's face paled as she looked behind him.

He changed his gaze back to his daughter, who was now turned to him. She smiled widely, but it only brought him fear, for her eyes were totally blackened.

"Penny, what is-"

"Data corrupted." She interrupted, her tone of voice changing drastically with each syllable, as if she was slowly breaking down.

Penny shoved an arm forward, piercing him in the stomach until her hand appeared on the other side. She threw him up in the air and aimed her bloodied palm at him, firing a green laser that engulfed him completely.

When the energy ceased, there was nothing left of General James Ironwood. His daughter looked at Ozpin and Glynda, inclining her head to the side, still with that terrible smile on her face.

"Slaughter-ready."

-x-

** Man, this chapter was long. This was even longer than chapter 14 (the one that, you know, revealed every freakin' thing?). And I believe the next chapter might be just as long or longer, considering what's on the horizon. Also, I am really sad I couldn't squeeze in a 'Penny the super fighting robot' joke before she went berserk ):**

** Anyway, REVIEWS!**

** Tennison: Wow, thank you! I am definitely going to keep uploading at this schedule until the story is over. I've found that keeping this pace really helps in keeping me interested in writing! So, maybe that's a tip for people out there who struggle with that?**

** CrimsonHeresy: There's a lot going on with Cinder... And her snowball of mystery will just keep rolling and getting bigger.**

** Cyborg: Nora's injury wasn't actually too bad. The Grimm sunk its teeth into her right shoulder (you know, everyday woes), so it hurt as hell and she lost some blood, but fortunately it didn't rip her arm off (it easily could have). Thank Dust for Penny, right?! Ha! Haha! Ha... Aw ):**

** Beacon-staff-run-for-the-hills-readiness-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	23. Heavy metal broke my heart

Team RWBY and Cinder jumped on the top of the buildings of the city of Mountain Glenn, making their way to the town's center. After a night of rest, they were all prepared to face their mission. However, there was still a sense of anxiety coming from some of them, particularly the two brunettes of the group.

The girls stopped for a moment as their leader jumped to another building by herself. She seemed to be chatting with two men they couldn't identify, but in their nervousness, no one questioned what she was doing.

As they waited, Weiss approached Blake and put a hand on her shoulder. The faunus looked at her with a stern expression, something that had been becoming increasingly uncommon these days.

"You're nervous about Adam Taurus, right?" The once-heiress asked softly.

"No… Well, I am, but that's not all…" Blake sighed "I'm afraid the White Fang won't accept change as easily as we want them to."

"_I'm_ not expecting it to be easy." Weiss noted "Nobody is. Who in Remnant doesn't fight change?"

The brunette nodded, realizing her girlfriend was right. There was no use in worrying about the difficulty of their mission; she would just have to do her best to succeed.

Meanwhile, Yang walked to Cinder and looked at her quietly for a few moments, crossing her arms. Her expression was serious, and though Cinder didn't know her for too long, she realized that meant something bad.

"Care to explain why you were in my sister's room?" The brawler asked "What I said at her birthday… I joke around a lot, okay? But that doesn't mean I'm okay with what might have happened between you two."

"You've got it all wrong. We didn't sleep together, at least not in the adult variation of the expression." The Dust warrior smirked, realizing she was mimicking the redhead's speech.

"Well, you had your own room to sleep in." Yang noted, still not believing her.

"…I had a nightmare and froze that bedroom."

The blonde stared at her, blinking a few times, before shaking her head.

"You're really bad at lying." She sighed "Look, whatever is happening, just be careful. I don't want to see Ruby getting hurt because of you. If that happens…"

"Your fists will enjoy my face." Cinder completed.

Yang nodded once and then rejoined her other teammates.

_She thinks I'm a bad liar. That's ironic._ The brunette frowned. _Well, I'm not lying anymore. I just have to cover up my former intentions… Which means Adam cannot see me. I will have to find an excuse to avoid fighting him… Or all hell breaks loose._

Cinder halted her thoughts as Ruby jumped back to their building. She gestured to her friends, and they all joined up near her.

"Okay, so my informants thought they could outsmart me yesterday." The redhead said seriously "But the headquarters are still very near. The problem is… It's underground. The entrance is through a building on the surface, but I'm afraid infiltrating the area unseen will be near impossible."

"Nothing's impossible for team RWBY and friends!" Yang encouraged.

"Uh, thanks, sis." Ruby spoke awkwardly before shaking her head to regain her focus "We may be able to take out the guards stealthily and then move in without setting off alarms. It might not last long, but it's still an advantage."

The leader waited until everyone showed they understood the situation, and then began to make her way by the top of the buildings, the team close behind. They stopped after many blocks, and she gestured to the streets below, where a few guards were walking around leisurely.

"I'll take them out." Blake said "Follow me when I signal to. Remember, _no killing_. I don't need to explain the reasoning behind that."

The faunus jumped to the ground, hitting the floor softly using her Aura and grace. She drew her sword and moved behind the grunts, blending in with the shadows as she struck them unconscious. The brunette then entered the building they were guarding, and was surprised to see it was abandoned.

Her ears perked up as she noticed the vague outline of a few men sitting against a wall. Blake dashed to them and hit them in their heads with her hilt, knocking them out before they could say anything. She looked around for any more people hiding, and when she found no one, she went outside and gestured to her friends.

The team jumped down and reunited with her. The group entered the building, puzzled by its decrepit status.

"Are you sure this is the entrance, Ruby?" Weiss asked slowly.

"Sure." The redhead said.

She walked to one of the walls and began to tap her hands against it, earning her a lot of weird stares. Finally, she found a bump in the wall and smiled. She pressed it, and the section moved back and into the right, revealing a nice, clean elevator.

Ruby looked back at her friends and stepped into the elevator. They followed her and stood side by side, silent as they were lowered into the underground of Mountain Glenn.

"I gotta hand it to the White Fang, they sure know how to welcome their guests." Yang commented.

"You have not even the slightest idea yet." Blake muttered amusedly.

-x-

"Slaughter-ready."

Penny dashed toward Ozpin, her feet releasing a barrage of flames that propelled her towards him at a great speed. She shoved a hand forward, punching the headmaster, who blocked the attack with his fortified Aura. The pain still surged through him, a combination of her metallic composition and not holding back her power overwhelming his defenses.

"Penny!" He yelled "Do you hear me?"

"I do, professor." The robot girl answered, her voice constantly changing in its volume "You need to die."

She punched him the chest, sending him several meters back. He halted his trajectory and clenched his fists, deciding the once sweet girl was too far gone. The headmaster's hands shone with his white aura, and he lunged at her.

Penny raised her arms, blocking his overhead attack perfectly. He didn't stop, however, and struck low with his legs, hitting the robot in her hip. She stumbled to the side, feeling the impact of his attack, but didn't seem to suffer any serious injury.

"That's not nice." She said "You shouldn't hit your own students."

Ozpin ignored the taunting and dashed to her, punching her in the face while she was still unbalanced. She stumbled back again, but instead of being angry, she just laughed.

"You can't stop me, **Ozpin.**" Penny told, and her voice suddenly stabilized to was a deep, threatening level "**You didn't stop me thousands of years ago. What makes you think you can stop me now?**"

The headmaster stepped back, his face consumed by panic. He knew that voice… One he so rarely heard a long time ago, but he would never forget it, not after all the pain and loss it brought.

"**Yes, I do remember you, **_**headmaster**_**.**" Penny continued "**You are the last remnant of hope from that lost age… And I will make you wish you had died then.**"

The robot raised her arms, lifting her blades into the air. Ozpin stood still, not able to move as memories of the past brought by that voice consumed his mind. The swords flew towards him, and he would have died in that moment, but they were suddenly diverted to the side, enveloped in a pink outline.

"I don't know what you are, and I don't know what you did to Penny." Glynda said, pointing her wand threateningly at the girl as she moved to Ozpin's side "But you just destroyed my ex-partner, corrupted his daughter, and tried to kill my boss."

She gestured with her weapon, unleashing a wave of energy upon the robot, who stumbled back and screamed painfully.

"I will make _you_ wish you had died then."

-x-

The team walked through the hallways of the White Fang base, noticing as the floor inclined down, meaning they were making their way inside the mountain. They had encountered a few grunts along the way, but they had been knocked out before anything bad could happen.

"This is going surprisingly well." Yang noted, still maintaining her positive attitude.

"It won't last for long." Cinder warned.

Her prediction came true as they stepped through a set of double doors and arrived in a huge room that must have served as a center of operations, as many White Fang members were gathered there together, receiving orders and weaponry.

"Damned Dust users, always jinxing things." The blonde muttered.

One of the grunts hit an alarm button, making a siren sound throughout the base. The terrorists aimed at them and started shooting, but Weiss quickly raised a series of glyphs that blocked the bullets.

"White Fang!" Blake shouted "We come in peace! Point us to your leader, and nobody has to get hurt!"

"Get out, fucking deserter!" One of the grunts yelled back furiously.

The young brunette looked to her leader, who was pondering the situation quickly.

"Some of us need to stay behind to deal with those grunts." Ruby decided "Just to subdue them, of course."

"I'll stay." Cinder volunteered immediately.

The redhead nodded and then gestured to her friends, running through the middle of the terrorists, cutting a path for them to follow. Some of the White Fang tried to pursuit them as they entered a hallway, but they were blocked by a barrier of red Dust.

"Some of you might know me as Cinder Fall." The Dust warrior announced.

"Aren't with us?!" One of the high-ranking officers yelled "Help us stop them!"

The brunette smirked as she formed a pair of swords.

"I am, indeed, with you." Cinder said enigmatically "You just don't know the specifics yet."

-x-

Glynda brought her wand low, making a wave of pink energy fall upon the corrupted robot. Penny grunted with her darkened voice, feeling her body starting to heat up under the stress of the attack. She yelled savagely and pointed a palm to the assistant, firing a green laser at her.

Goodwitch gasped and moved her wand quickly, diverting the barrage to the side just in time, but keeping the maneuver up was quickly draining on her Aura. When the laser stopped, she once again shot at the robot, but the attack was visibly weaker this time, and Penny seemed only annoyed.

The blonde sighed tiredly and stepped back, pointing her weapon at the girl.

"**Oh, has your rage already run out?**" Penny mocked "**That is too bad. I actually enjoy seeing you humans being driven by that… In a way, those emotions fuel me too.**"

"You are disgusting." Glynda said "Leave that poor girl alone, monster. What did she, or anyone else, ever do to you?"

"**Now that…**_** Reason**_**… Is something that I despise.**" The robot answered as she built up another laser "**You can't possibly understand me… Because there is nothing to understand.**"

The attack fired toward Glynda, and she jumped to the side, dragging Ozpin out of the way too.

The headmaster crashed to the ground and blinked repeatedly, finally regaining his senses. He looked at Glynda, who was standing near him, her expression pained. She fell beside him, the back of her clothes ruined, revealing burned skin behind them.

Ozpin got back up and stood in front of her, his hands pulsing with his Aura as he stared at Penny.

"…I will end you."

"**That's precious. You make such a good show.**" She chuckled "**Loyalty, hope, determination… It's so fulfilling to extinguish them all at once.**"

"You don't know anything about us." Ozpin muttered "You might kill me now, but I will die happily for what I believe in. Even if you extinguish those things in me… That action will make them be born again into other people, and someday, somehow, you _will_ be stopped."

Penny approached him, walking slowly as she shook her head in disgust. She stopped in front of him, blocking his punch. She gripped his hand, smashing its bones, making him fall to his knees in pain.

"**You will never stop me.**"

Her blades flew in the air above them, and they all pointed at the headmaster. Penny gestured down with her other hand, making the swords fly to him.

Ozpin closed his eyes, expecting the pain to rush through his whole body, but instead, he only felt a tingling sensation coursing in his skin. When he opened again, he noticed a bright white Aura surrounding him that the blades couldn't break through.

Penny grunted angrily, trying to put more force behind the attempts, but the headmaster took the opportunity and hit her with an uppercut that sent her flying back.

"Come on, professor!" Jaune yelled, running by Ozpin with his sword raised.

"…Yes." The headmaster muttered, letting his Aura burst around himself "Let's do this."

-x-

RWBY ran through the highway, knocking out the few grunts in their path.

"How do we know we're going in the right direction?" Weiss yelled.

"We don't!" Blake exclaimed frustrated.

The four stopped as the corridor split into two, one inclining down, while the other diverted to the right. Ruby pointed to the passage to the right.

"Blake, Weiss, you two go there." She ordered "Yang, you're with me."

"Sure thing, boss." The blonde agreed.

The two sisters went down their passage, not encountering anyone on their way. Curiously enough, the walls of metal eventually stopped, being replaced by the earth from the interior of the mountain, as if whoever had built the tunnel had given up halfway through their work.

Eventually, the two arrived at an open area which seemed to be in the center of the mountain. There were a bunch of grunts running around, carrying boxes of Dust in their panic as the alarms rang throughout the base.

"This is where they store the Dust they steal." Ruby realized "Which means…"

"Hello, Red."

Roman Torchwick smirked as he walked out from the crowd, pointing his cane to the air leisurely.

"It's been a long time since we last saw each other." He said "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"Stand down, Torchwick." Yang warned "We're here to change the White Fang's direction. It's best if you just cooperate."

The criminal whistled.

"Who are _you_, blondie?" He asked, but then just shrugged and pointed his cane at the sisters "Not that it matters. I'm not obeying your wishes." He looked at the grunts "Hurry up and get out of here! I don't to blow up the whole base. Neo, help me with those invaders, dear?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, confused at that last phrase, and then suddenly felt a weight on her back. She looked up and noticed a strange girl standing on her shoulders, with hair that was half-pink, half-brown, just like her eyes were.

She smirked and jumped down in front of the brawler, swinging an umbrella into her stomach, sending her reeling back.

"You bitch!" Yang yelled angrily "Ruby, this one is mine!"

The redhead nodded and raced towards Torchwick. She swung her scythe, but the man brought his cane up, blocking the offensive, and then spun around and hit her in the back.

Ruby faced him and shot with Crescent Rose, making him stumble back as his Aura absorbed the impact of the rounds. She jumped up and around him, landing behind the criminal, and then struck him in his legs.

Roman fell to the ground, but immediately rolled away from her and got up, his usual smug attitude gone.

"You've had your fun." He grunted "Party over."

Torchwick pointed his cane at her and shot. Ruby protected herself from the blast using her Aura, taking some damage, but still standing. The criminal kept his weapon pointed at her, and the girl realized she could take many more hits like these. However, the cane suddenly extended and caught her by the neck.

Roman pushed back, bringing her to him, and then swung low, hitting her in the stomach painfully. Ruby gasped, all breath taken away from her, and stumbled back.

"Maybe you're skilled and special by your school's standards… But here in the real world, we're not afraid to play dirty, dear." He mocked.

Torchwick then grabbed something from his pocket and threw it at her. The redhead blinked, barely noticing it was a yellowish Dust crystal, and was unable to stop it from hitting her. It broke on contact, and suddenly her world was turned upside down, and she felt as if everything was happening ten times faster.

"Time Dust." She could discern the criminal saying "Very expensive, unless you steal it, of course. Also very useful."

He shot her at point blank range, sending her flying across the rocky area, until she finally hit a wall and fell unconscious.

Yang noticed as a red blur passed by her, but she was too occupied trying to hit her new enemy, who was grinning silently and dancing around her attacks with ease. The blonde grunted angrily, trying once more to hit her with even more force, but Neo just stepped aside and then struck her with her umbrella, sending her skidding back.

_Focus, Yang_. The blonde thought._ This is just like that Grimm… She's tiring you down until she can land the final blow…_

She smiled faintly, an idea popping into her head. Yang looked up angrily at her opponent and pointed a finger at her.

"Act like a real warrior!" She shouted, and then coughed as she clutched her sides "You don't know how to actually fight… I-I… Damnit…"

Neo smiled and dashed to her, raising her weapon to pierce through the blonde's body. However, Yang just smiled at her and grabbed the umbrella, taking it away from her hands and throwing it to the ground.

The brawler then punched Neo in the head with full force, knocking her down immediately. The strange girl fell unconscious, one clean hit being enough to break her guard.

"Blondie, I don't even know your name, but I already dislike you." Roman said as he walked closer "I know, we're strangers, it's discourteous to say things like that… But you just beat the crap out of dear Neo."

"Shut up." Yang shot back "Where's Ruby?"

"Oh, back there." The criminal pointed with his cane "You'll find her lying beside a puddle of blood."

The blonde looked back and her eyes widened. Just as he had said, her sister was down on the ground, a small amount of blood near where her head laid. Yang looked back at the criminals, her hatred making her hair burn.

"_YOU FUCKER!"_ She yelled, charging at him.

Roman chuckled and aimed at her, shooting a blast that she took without fear. However, Yang felt her movements suddenly slowing down, while the criminal walked normally to her side.

She swung at him, but he ducked without any worry. It was like she was moving at slow motion compared to the rest of the world.

"As I said…" His voice sounded deep and slow to her ears "Time Dust is _very_ useful."

He then produced another crystal from his pockets, this one brown, and threw it at her feet. It broke, and earth rose around her, burying her quickly, only leaving her head uncovered. She tried to break free, but the effects of the Time Dust confounded her senses, and she couldn't focus her power.

"So…" The criminal said "Which one do I finish off first? You, or her?"

"Me!" Yang yelled desperately "_Leave Ruby alone!_"

Roman smirked.

"Let's start with Red, then."

-x-

Blake and Weiss crashed through a double door, prepared to face whatever was behind it.

They found themselves in a large, luxurious office room. It was dark, however, and the only thing they could see was a wooden desk in the middle of it, visible only because of a lamp mounted on it.

"Adam." The brunette called "I know you're here."

The two waited, but no response came. Weiss looked at her girlfriend and nodded towards the desk, and they carefully made their way to it. There was a number of newspaper articles spread through it, some with recent dates, others from past decades.

_Family of faunus found dead in their home, hateful messages painted on the walls with their blood._

_ Group of pro-faunus activists attacked during manifestation, fatalities were high._

_ Sick girl is denied entrance to a hospital in account of her faunus heritage._

The once-heiress flinched as she looked at the centerpiece, which was directly under the lamp's light.

_Schnee Companies' profits skyrocketed last year, president says family tragedy is the fuel behind that._

"Blake…" Weiss whispered "This is…"

"This is the truth of the world, bare before your very eyes."

The room was lit up, and as they looked behind them, they found Adam Taurus, leaning against the door, gripping his katana with one hand and pointing to the desk with the other.

"You may think me a monster, and I will never deny you are right…" He continued "But it's what the world made of me." The terrorist righted his posture and shook his head "But I suppose there is no more talking to be done between us three, right? You have come here to put an end to me."

Blake stepped towards him, leaving only a few meters between them. She looked at him, not angry, but sad.

"It doesn't have to end the way you think it has to, Adam." She pleaded "Faunus have been mistreated throughout history, that is undeniable, and humans have been suffering because of that too… But long ago, we stood together."

"So what?" Adam asked "Conflict drove them apart then, and there's nothing to guarantee that won't happen again. We're not meant to live together."

"That's what you want to believe." Blake said "It's easier to be angry and lash out, than be forgiving and reconcile."

"Then we just believe in different worlds, Blake." The man smirked "The only thing to do is see who gets their way now."

The cat faunus nodded sadly and drew her sword. She looked at Weiss and shook her head. The once-heiress hesitated, realizing that her girlfriend wanted to end this alone. After a few seconds, she nodded and stepped back.

"I see you've changed quite a bit." Adam noted "You're short of half an arm… And there's a different conviction to your person."

"I've been through a lot." Blake agreed.

"Good sword." He commented "What's its name?"

The girl smirked proudly as she looked at her blade.

"This was forged by a great friend after a sacrifice… I like to think it's both a gift and a reminder of who I am…" She spun the sword "I named it Shade."

"I see… Not fully in the shadows, not fully in the light." Adam smiled "You were always a hopeless romantic."

And then they dashed at each other, their swords clashing and spreading sparks through the air.

-x-

Torchwick lifted Ruby and brought her before Yang. Her body was still limp, and there were drops of blood leaving the wound on her head from time to time. The blonde stared at the criminal pleadingly, her vision blurred by tears.

"You caused this." He accused. His voice was still strange to her "Contrary to popular belief, I don't like killing people. But your little group has caused me a lot of problems already, so it's in my best interests get my hands dirty."

Yang sobbed, her anger all burned away. There was nothing she could do, and even when the Time Dust ran out, she didn't know if she would be strong enough to keep standing, much less fight.

"Any lasts words?" Roman asked, and after she didn't answer, he shrugged "I'll just do it, then."

He put the redhead on the ground in front of her sister and aimed his cane at her head. Before he got to pull the trigger, however, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Step away from her, Roman."

He looked to his sides and noticed Cinder Fall walking towards him. She stopped a few meters away, holding two swords at her sides. Her arms were trembling, and it was almost like there was a fire burning in her eyes.

"I didn't know you were going to join the party, Cinder." Roman said good-naturedly "I guess you want to do the honors, then?"

She just stared at him, and the criminal raised an eyebrow.

"You can have the blonde."

"_STEP. AWAY._"

Cinder's voice echoed through the whole area. Torchwick stepped back from Ruby and raised his arms pleadingly.

"No need to get upset." He commented "Has it really been that long since you last murdered some-"

The brunette erupted in fire and dashed to him, reaching him in a matter of seconds. She yelled and drove a sword through his stomach, making him contort in pain. She then kicked him away and aimed a palm at him.

Flames shot from her arm, covering him until nothing but ashes remained. When that was done, Cinder stood trembling. She stared at Yang, who looked halfway between shocked and relieved, and then fell to her knees.

"I-I'm so sorry." She whispered "I didn't know what else to do… I was so angry…"

She dropped to the ground beside Ruby and hugged the redhead while Yang watched on wordlessly.

-x-

Blake circled around Adam, trying to strike him in his back, but he was too skilled to allow that to happen. He ducked low and spun, swinging at her legs, but she jumped up, avoiding the attack.

The brunette brought her sword down, but Adam sidestepped and stabbed at her. She managed to narrowly dodge by backing away, and then she closed in again, trying to slash at his shoulder, but he blocked expertly.

The redhead used that position to his advantage and spun his sword, making it so it was pressing above Blake's. The girl gasped, losing her momentum as her weapon dropped low. That technique was already powerful enough, but the fact that he had a clear strength advantage with his two arms made it even worse for her.

However, she didn't let that brief loss break her focus. She kicked him in the knee unexpectedly, making him stumble back, and then brought her sword back up, slashing him in the stomach.

Adam grunted angrily and lunged in, unleashing a barrage of strikes coming from every direction. Blake blocked all of them, but she could feel her stamina running out quickly. She might have the skill to hold this position, but her strength was a whole other thing.

_I can't._ She realized. _Adam is as skillful as me, but my arm… I guess Weiss was right…_

However, she was briefly startled when Adam's attacks seemed to slow down. Blake frowned, knowing there was no reason for that to happen. Then, she felt something urging her on… Like another force acting on her body.

She smirked and waited for an interval between his attacks, and when she noticed it, she lunged in. The cat faunus struck against the base of his blade, knocking his sword away.

Adam gasped, not expecting such a move. He looked at his empty hands, and then at Blake, and finally lowered his head.

"I guess it's over, then." He muttered "Finish me."

The brunette stared at him quietly for a few moments. Then she sheathed her weapon and nodded to Weiss.

"Can you tie him up?" She asked.

"On it." The white-haired girl answered.

She stepped close to the two faunus and raised Myrtenaster. Blake smirked as she noticed its dial change from Time to Ice, confirming her hunch about the battle.

"Bring your hands together." Weiss ordered.

"…I've been oppressed in worse ways." Adam commented.

He obeyed her order, and hard ice enveloped his hands, making it impossible for him to separate them.

"You won't try to run away, right?" Blake asked.

"No." Adam promised "What are you going to do about me?"

The two girls looked at each other.

"I don't know." Blake answered honestly.

-x-

Headmaster and student charged in together, striking against their robotic enemy in tandem. Penny blocked a slash from Jaune with her arms, but that left her defenseless against Ozpin's punch to her right side.

The possessed girl grunted angrily. This had been going on for a few minutes now, and it had been surprisingly difficult to hold her own. Even though these two men had very little in common, they were fighting like one. There was nothing to explain this, unlike every other human phenomenon… And that made her angry.

"**Die!**"

Penny yelled suddenly and struck against Ozpin, ignoring the pain she felt. The headmaster was caught off guard and flew several meters back. Jaune looked at the robot and gulped.

"P-Penny?" He called "You're still in there, right?"

"…**You are pathetic.**"

She stepped near him and swung her palm against his head, an attack that would have surely knocked it right off, but he raised his shield and, surprisingly, managed to block, although it left a dent on the equipment.

"I don't know what's happened to you… But you need to stop!" Jaune urged "You can't hurt anyone here in Beacon, Penny! Come to your senses!"

"**Your friend is gone, fool.**" She responded "**Give up.**"

"No!" He yelled "I'm not giving up on Penny! Do you hear me?! Leave her alone!"

The robot raised a fist, prepared to finish him off. However, the boy noticed a brief spark of green in her black eyes.

"Penny?" Jaune muttered.

Before anything more happened, however, Penny screamed in pain and fell to her knees. Behind her stood Pyrrha, her palms touching the robot's back.

"You're not hurting anybody else!" The redhead yelled.

"No!" Jaune shouted "Pyrrha, stop!"

She ignored him and shoved her arms to her sides, making Penny scream as her body was torn in half, spilling oil on the ground. She fell down, electricity jumping all around her.

The redhead kneeled beside her and once more gestured with her arms, and the rest of the body was torn to pieces. Pyrrha panted and lowered her head, exhausted after using her Semblance in such a large manner.

"P-Pyr-rrha-a-a-aaa…"

She blinked and looked at the ground in front of her. Penny's head remained, and she was looking directly at her.

Her eyes had regained their normal, bright green color.

"I thought…" Her voice failed "W-w-we… F-f-frie…"

Pyrrha got up and looked at her oil-dirtied palms, her eyes widening with horror.

_No. No. No no no no no._

The redhead turned and ran away as the last signs of life left Penny's eyes.

-x-

Yang dropped Neo on the floor of the White Fang's room of operations, beside a pair of tied up grunts. The terrorists looked at her threating, but one glare from the blonde and an examination of the unconscious girl's state were enough to stop any comments.

The brawler stood up and sighed. The whole event might have only lasted half an hour, but she felt exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally.

_On the bright side, these guys aren't making a mess_. She thought. _On a darker note, however, there's going to be a hell of an aftermath._

Her thoughts were interrupted as Blake and Weiss walked into the room. The brunette seemed a bit tired, but overall the two were uninjured. Surprisingly enough, Adam Taurus was walking obediently behind them, his hands imprisoned in ice.

Suddenly, the majority of the captive faunus began an uproar as they noticed their leader. He waited a few moments until Blake nodded to him before walking in front of her and catching everyone's attention.

"You need to calm down." Adam ordered in a firm tone "It's bad enough you were defeated so easily. The least you can do is keep quiet and accept the consequences."

The grunts looked around, some looking afraid, others ashamed. One of them stood up.

"What is going to happen to us?" He questioned.

"That's not up to me." Adam smirked "The White Fang is under new management. Welcome your new leader, Blake Belladonna."

The man stepped back and nodded towards the brunette. She blinked repeatedly, not sure what to do as everyone in the room looked at her. A quick glance at Weiss, who smiled faintly, and Yang, who lifted a thumb up discreetly, gave her the courage to talk.

"Members of the White Fang." She began, walking to the middle of the room "For years, you have been a heavy influence in Vytal. You rose up to fight for the faunus, who throughout history were mistreated by the rules and hands of humans." Blake slowly shifted her gaze to each grunt, her expression compassionate and fierce "To help our kind, to defend those who couldn't do so themselves… A noble undertaking."

Some of the men cheered, but they were quickly silenced by a stern look from her.

"That nobility was lost when we turned to theft, to violence… To murder." She said somberly "We lost our way. You aren't fighting for justice anymore, only bloodlust and vengeance. Even if you earn your place in Vytal, in the end you'll just become the monsters who need to be fought." Blake lifted her arms pleadingly "And I _know_ most of you recognize that. You don't want to kill! You don't want to be feared!"

Slowly, a series of quiet agreements emerged in the grunts, in the forms of nods, murmurs or outright smiles. Only a few stayed adamant, crossing their arms and rolling their eyes, as if they found the words annoying.

"As your new leader, I am offering another chance to all of you." Blake continued "Those of you who don't want to hear of this may leave."

Almost a dozen of the men got up and started to leave, slowly, as if they feared this was some sort of trick. The only thing they got from Blake was a disgusted look. However, the brunette smiled as she noticed most of the grunts had remained.

"You must know everyone is facing a crisis right now. The Dark is a serious threat to both faunus and humans, and to survive it, we'll need to stand together." She continued "I will lead you to Beacon academy, where headmaster Ozpin is mounting a force to face the Dark. You'll fight with the students, and other humans."

There was a wave of hesitancy in the men's faces, but none of them protested against the idea. Blake kneeled beside a pair of them and untied them, and ordered them to free their colleagues.

The brunette sighed and walked back to Weiss. She noticed Adam's faint smile as she passed by him.

_He didn't leave._ She thought briefly, but decided to not ask him about it.

The once-heiress kissed her and smiled happily.

"You were fantastic!" She complimented "I knew you could do it, but I'm so proud."

"I couldn't have made it on my own." The faunus smirked "You _cheater_. I know you boosted me with Time Dust during my fight with Adam."

"Hey, I can't cheat if there are no explicit rules." Weiss retorted, but then she frowned "Are you upset?"

"No… But there will be punishment."

The white-haired girl blushed as she fully understood her girlfriend's words. She looked around and noticed Yang leaning against a wall, well within their earshot. However, she was surprised when the blonde didn't comment on that exchange of words.

"Yang?" Weiss called "Where's Ruby? And Cinder?"

The brawler shot them a brief glance before pointing to a distant corner of the room. Cinder was sitting against a wall, leaning an unconscious Ruby against her body. She was hugging the redhead sadly, as if nothing else existed in the world.

"Is Ruby okay?" Blake asked worriedly.

"She's going to be fine." Yang assured, although her tone was not so full of happiness "Torchwick caught her by surprise and she hit her head against a rocky wall."

"Torchwick?" Weiss repeated "Where is he?"

"Cinder killed him."

The three watched quietly as Cinder kissed their leader in the forehead before falling into a deep sleep herself. At that moment, she looked like a harmless angel… But inside her, they knew lived only a dragon.

-x-

**Phew. That was a chapter. You know, I originally thought I could separate these events in arcs... But I've slowly noticed that is impossible, everything just leads to another and there's no slowing down.**

**By the way, I changed a little line on Chapter 14 (Every truth lies shattered). I've renamed the "women's locker room incident" to the "alcohol incident". One day, you will understand. ONE DAY.**

** I feel like I need to explain a little bit about Dust. Note that this is not meant to be super faithful to canon, but considering I'm already risking being Jossed with saying Raven is Yang's mother, I don't really care. Also, I'm pretty sure Raven is actually Qrow's sister. There is only one thing I have to say about that: FECK IT, IT'S MAH VERSION OF STUFF.**

** Anyway. As previously stated by Weiss in chapter 21, there's seven types of Dust: Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Lighting, Time, and Life. Of these, I can assure the first four are canon. I'm not sure about Lightning. And I'm pretty sure Time is canon (Weiss uses it in No Brakes, I think). Life is super-not-canon.**

** Let me speak specifically about Time. No, it is NOT as overpowered as you would think at first. You can't time travel with it... Even a few seconds of backwards or forwards travel would need an absurd amount of Dust, and who the hell knows what would happen to who used it. What you _can_ do using Time Dust is change properties of its effects on a focused area. This is what Roman did to Ruby and Yang, disorienting them by disconnecting them by like, 10x the usual scale of time. What Weiss did to Blake was different. She sped her up by perhaps 1.25x, meaning she didn't get disoriented, so she actually benefited from it.**

** Anyway... Reviews! They're a thing!**

** Strategist: Yes! I succeeded in making people feel bad for Ironwood's fate! Yay! I mean... Too bad for that guy. He didn't even get to see his daughter fight to save the world... Oh wait... (Probably too soon?). **

** Cyborg: Nope. Aura =/= spirit. You _could_ see Aura as a projection of someone's spirit... But really it's not like that. Aura is like a combat-related thing, which people all have in different quantities. Spirit is related to emotions, identity, those things. It can't be quantified or materialized in any way.**

** Ihavenoidea: Hey, it's okay! Study all you want... You can make up for the times _I_ don't study! Also, I think Ruby's version of the song would be more like "Do you wanna kill some Grimm" or "Do you want to look at weapons". Actually, that sounds really good to me. MAKE IT HAPPEN, RWBY FANBASE.**

** CrimsonHeresy: Thank Dust for Pyrrha's convenient Semblance, huh? Seriously, I'm pretty sure Penny wouldn't be stopped unless that redhead goddess was there (I like Pyrrha, by the way. OH DIVINE CHAMPION). Did Jaune redeem himself this chapter? Or does he need some more chapters to do that?**

** Cinder-dragon-dash-attack-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	24. You don't know the Roses

Ren entered his team's room. He was not the type of person that showed his emotions easily, even by simple gestures or expressions. It wasn't that he didn't have feelings, he just preferred to keep them to himself.

Right now, however, his mood was pretty obvious to anyone: he was frustrated, shown by how he slammed the door on his way in, and sad, shown by his slumped shoulders and unfocused stare.

Nora sat up on one of the beds. Her injury was almost completely healed, maybe a day or two more of resting and being careful would be enough for her. But, despite of that, she was certainly not happy.

"Ren." She greeted evenly. It was strange to hear her sound so serious, but neither of them were going to point that out, considering their current situations "Did you find them?"

"No." He responded briefly and lied on his own bed, staring up at the ceiling worriedly.

"…It's been two days." Nora reminded "Do you think they're okay?"

"I have no idea."

The orange-haired girl crossed her arms and pouted, her boyfriend's curtness only serving to further depress her.

"I thought you would know something… Considering your Aura sensing and stuff…"

"You know that's not how my Semblance works, Nora. I can't just think of Jaune and Pyrrha and magically know how they are doing." Ren sighed "If I got maybe a hundred meters near them, I could know that _and_ find them easily. But I haven't been able to."

"Sorry. I shouldn't be expecting so much of you… You've been doing your best, after all, and I'm just resting safe in the school." The girl apologized "Still, I wish there was some way for us to have some assurance that they're okay."

"And I wish I could give you that assurance." The Aura adept said "But we both know Remnant is a dangerous place, especially now. Even the most skilled Hunters can die out there. I'm not giving up on either of our teammates, but we can't lie about what they could be going through right now."

Nora nodded and lay down on her bed. She turned to the side and cried silently so her partner didn't realize what she was doing. However, she quickly felt him lie beside her and hug her tightly.

"Jaune and Pyrrha are going to be okay." Ren spoke firmly "I know it."

"…Thank you, Ren."

-x-

Ruby opened her eyes and quickly shut them again when the light of the sun hit them immediately. She waited a bit to get accustomed to the clarity before looking again.

Her head felt a little light, and as she moved it, the world seemed blurred. She couldn't discern anything she saw by the corner of her vision, but she noticed there were many people near her, walking around without giving her any attention, and that there were trees standing by the sides of a road.

"You had to pick the one moment I went away to finally wake up."

Ruby blinked and moved her head until she focused her vision on who was talking to her. Cinder kneeled beside her and put a hand on her forehead. There was a bit of concern in her stare, but her faint smile indicated some relief.

"Well, your fever has died down." She said "Considering your wound has already closed up, you should probably start feeling better quickly."

"…Cinder?" Ruby croaked "What happened?"

The brunette frowned and sat beside her.

"Roman Torchwick caught you by surprise. He sent you flying against a wall and you hit your head. If it wasn't for the Aura you had left, you would have died in that instant." Cinder smiled sadly "Thankfully, you're a tough girl. You bled a lot, but we managed to treat you before any permanent damage took place."

"How long have I been out?" The redhead asked confusedly "And who are all those people?"

"You've been in and out for the last two days, but this is the first time you're actually conscious. And those are the White Fang."

Ruby's eyes widened and she tried to stand up, but was stopped easily by the Dust warrior.

"Everything is under control. Blake is their new leader, and they seem to be content… for now." Cinder shook her head, deciding not to worry the injured girl "Don't stress yourself. Just continue resting here… I can get you some food and water."

"That would be nice."

The brunette stood up and started to walk away. After a few seconds, she turned and approached her friend again, pointing a finger at her.

"I swear, if you go walking about after I spent two days worrying about you…" Her voice faltered "Well… I'll be upset."

"…Thank you." Ruby smiled.

Cinder shook her head and walked off for good this time. _You've turned me into a silly girl, Ruby Rose… And a confused one at that. _

The redhead hummed happily as she watched the activities around the place. The men seemed to be moving a lot of boxes, which she deduced held weapons and Dust. She wondered why they were moving them to here… And that made her wonder where was _here_.

Her silent inquiries were stopped when another voice reached her ears.

"Ruby!" Weiss walked to her, her hands on her hips "Finally, you're awake! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?"

"Well, judging by Cinder's attitude and now yours… I would say very worried." The leader answered honestly.

"You little…" The once-heiress paused and smiled warmly "You're a dolt, but a loveable one at that. How are you feeling?"

"My vision was a little blurry at first, but it's been clearing up. My head's a bit light… But overall, I'm fine."

"Are you a doctor, Ruby Rose?"

The younger girl pouted as Weiss crouched beside her and began examining her head, parting her hair so she could get a look at her wound.

"Okay, it's closing up quickly. You can thank your Aura for that." The Dust user pressed her palm against her friend's forehead "And your fever is lowering."

"Cinder already checked those things!" Ruby complained, slapping the hands away.

"Did she also take lessons in basic medicine?" Weiss crossed her arms.

"…Did you?" The redhead asked suspiciously.

"A couple at home, many at Beacon. You should know that, you're my team leader." The once-heiress sighed "Besides, I wanted to make sure you really are well. It's not that I don't trust Cinder, it's just…"

She stopped talking when she noticed the Dust warrior walking to them. Cinder set a plate of food on the redhead' lap and a cup of water beside her. She stood up and nodded to Weiss.

"How are the preparations going?" She asked good-naturedly.

"Well, the men are bringing the last boxes as we speak." The once-heiress answered "Blake managed to get a connection with Beacon again. Glynda said there should be a half dozen of helicopters arriving in a few days." She sighed "I think some of these guys are getting restless… They might be in accord with Blake, but her influence with them is not too great."

"That's to be expected." Cinder commented "They were terrorists, after all. But I'm sure we can keep any major problem from arising."

Ruby ignored her food and threw her arms up.

"What the hell are you two talking about?!" She exclaimed "I'm the RWBY leader! Shouldn't I be filled in?"

"Uh… Well, Cinder's been with you for two days. She won't mind answering your questions, right?" Weiss asked.

"Sure." The brunette shrugged.

The once-heiress looked at her with an expression that carried a clear message, "You've made a huge mistake", and walked away as Ruby started posing questions incessantly. She smiled amusedly, wondering if Cinder's apparent liking of her leader would survive this day.

Weiss slowed down as she noticed something strange on the corner of her vision. She looked up, and weirdly enough, found Yang sitting on a tree branch, staring silently at her sister and Cinder.

"You know… It's usually Blake who does the cat stuff." The white-haired girl said.

"I took a page out of her book." The blonde answered without looking at her "But I think I didn't read it right. This branch might fall at any time…"

Weiss raised an eyebrow amusedly, but noticed that her friend didn't smile, not even a little. Actually, she had barely seen the brawler these last few days… And the times she had, there wasn't even a hint of her usual cheerfulness.

"Are you all right?" She asked worriedly.

"Sure, princess." The blonde answered briefly.

"I don't believe you." Weiss refuted "If you need help, just ask for it."

Yang finally looked at her and smiled slyly.

"Do you offer sex therapy?"

"No!" The once-heiress exclaimed, offended at that suggestion.

"Oh, well. That would have given even more reason for your relationship with Blake." The brawler pointed out.

"You're insufferable, Xiao Long!"

Weiss grunted angrily and stormed away.

_Nothing drives people away like offending their relationships._ Yang thought, as she looked back to Ruby and Cinder. _Now, back to moping._

-x-

"Hey, where do I put this box?"

Blake sighed as she turned to look at another White Fang member.

"What's in it?" She asked, trying not to sound frustrated.

"Dust!" He answered "Isn't that obvious? It's written in the box."

"Then put it next to pile with a sign reading _Dust_." The cat faunus raised an eyebrow "Isn't _that_ obvious?"

The man opened his mouth in wonderment and headed to the place she had spoken about. The brunette shook her head. She had never planned of becoming the leader of the White Fang… But, really, there was no one else that would fit the job.

In the two days she had spent in that position, she had learnt many things. Amongst those were that leaders didn't only lead: they directed, guided, and cared for. And that meant she had to give attention to every single member that needed it. It made her understand why some people cracked under such a burden.

One lesson Blake learned gradually, however, stood above all others: nobody followed blindly. After her initial speech, she could already feel unrest amongst the White Fang, and as the time went on, more of the members began to question her leadership.

"Hey! Where do I put this box?"

"Next to the pile with the corresponding sign." Blake spoke dryly, not even bothering to look at whoever had spoken to her.

"Are you so tired you don't recognize your girlfriend's voice?" Weiss asked amusedly.

"You don't have a box." The brunette pointed out.

"Sorry. I thought it would be funny." The once-heiress said embarrassedly "I'm not good with jokes, am I?"

Blake just shook her head, too stressed to interact with anyone else. She jumped with surprise when a cheer echoed throughout the makeshift camp. The brunette turned to the sound and ran towards it, breaking through a crowd.

"What happened?" She asked.

"It's finished!" One of the grunts answered happily "No more boxes!"

"That's great." Blake smiled "Good job, everyone. You can all rest now."

"Let's eat!" A group of them yelled.

The girl's ears perked up and she quickly ran until she was standing between them and the boxes of food.

"That's okay, guys. But remember that you need to me mindful of your portions." She reminded "Nothing more than two plates."

"That's ridiculous!" A woman yelled "We've worked all day. I could eat five plates all by myself!"

"If everyone eats that much, we'll run out of food before Beacon picks us up."

"We can just get more." Another member pointed out.

"You got food before by stealing it, or using the money you got from crime." Blake reminded "This is not the White Fang's way anymore."

A man walked out of the crowd and stood in front of her, staring her face-to-face.

"Lady, we're in the end of the world." He said "Nobody is going to mind if we take some food to live and fight another day."

"If that's your logic, I don't know what you are fighting for." Blake answered bitterly, giving up on being careful with her words "We're not fighting so _we_ survive. We're fighting for the people out there that you want to steal from."

"I'm fighting for the people I know." The man refuted "These strangers think we're monsters. Why should we care about them?"

There was an echo of approval from the other members. The leader narrowed her eyes angrily.

"Don't you see what you are doing?" She spoke "You're proving them right."

"I don't need to hear that from you!"

The man roared and swung a fist against her. Blake gasped and stepped back, narrowly dodging the attack. Her hand flew to her weapon instinctively, but she managed to stop herself from drawing it.

The grunt continued to try to hit her, but she managed to dodge while trying to find a solution to the conflict. Before she could so, however, the man yelled painfully and fell to the ground.

Adam shook his head disapprovingly, his hands tied up with reinforced rope, but his legs were free, and he had used his feet to make the man fall.

"I'm so glad I'm not your leader anymore." He spoke, looking to the rest of the crowd "Here is a chance to do something different, to make a change in this world and earn our place once and for all… And you're willing to trash it because of a smaller meal." He smirked amusedly "If I was in charge, you'd all receive only _one_ plate after this fiasco. What will you do, Belladonna?"

Blake looked at him suspiciously before addressing her subordinates.

"You will get two plates, and you can _share_ another." She conceded.

"See?" Adam exclaimed "You all hit the jackpot and are complaining about it."

The White Fang passed by the two, some clearly ashamed of their actions, other smiling gratefully to their new leader. The man who had confronted her stood up and looked at Blake embarrassedly.

"Miss Belladonna…" He muttered "You are clearly under a lot of stress… I am sorry for making your job even more difficult."

"We're all under a lot of stress." Blake said, and then she leaned in to whisper in his ear "You can get a third plate, no sharing."

The man stared at her respectfully and walked away. The brunette smiled faintly and turned to Adam.

"That was… nice, what you did for me." She thanked "But why did you do it?"

"Maybe my heart is not made of stone." The redhead shook his head "Or maybe I'm just sick of my hands being tied up."

Blake looked at him suspiciously before drawing Shade and using it to cut his ropes. Adam nodded appreciatively.

"I won't try anything." He assured before she could voice any concerns "I think this system of rewards and goodwill suits me."

The redhead smirked and walked away. Blake watched him go, not sure if she could believe any word he said.

-x-

Ruby put her plate down on the ground and stared at it quietly. Cinder waited a few moments, sitting beside the redhead, feeling a dreadful nervousness unlike anything she ever felt before.

"Do you have anything to say?" Cinder asked "I… I did kill Torchwick."

The younger girl shook her head slowly before looking at her friend.

"I don't like that you did it. He might have been about to kill me, and he _was_ a jerk, but still… Killing is wrong." Ruby said "I mean… It happens by accident sometimes, in the middle of battle. But that's different from what happened to Torchwick."

"I'm so sorry." The brunette spoke, her head hanging low "I lost control… I wanted to kill him. That's horrible."

"Hey. Lift your head, Cinder."

The Dust warrior looked at Ruby again and was surprised to discover she was smiling faintly.

"You told me that other night that your powers are tied to your emotions… And I know that Fire is your normal Dust, but you never use it like you did against Torchwick." The redhead pointed out "That means you were _really_ angry. That's what Fire's tied to, right?"

"Yes. That is a very… perceptive assumption." Cinder commented.

"I _am_ a born leader." Ruby said smugly, before retaining her serious attitude "The thing is… You were really angry because Roman was going to kill me, but we barely know each other. I mean, I like you, but we've only met recently."

The brunette hesitated for a few minutes before taking one of the girl's hands with hers. The leader blushed slightly, but didn't retreat from the touch, and that made the Dust warrior smile.

"I can barely remember a time in my life where I didn't have to hold back my emotions… A time where I could throw petty tantrums without setting things aflame, or cry at night without freezing a bedroom, or just laugh gleefully without making the people around me get an electric shock." Cinder shook her head "I always need to be wary of what I'm doing… I can _never_ feel too much of anything." The brunette looked her friend in the eyes "I don't know what it is about you, Ruby… But when I'm with you, I just forget about these worries. I can have _real_ feelings around you."

The redhead blinked once, taking in the full extent of the older girl's words. Before she could respond, however, she felt a jolt in her hand and jumped slightly. Cinder gasped and released her.

"Lighting is happiness." She stated "Oops."

The two shared an amused glance and suddenly started to laugh together. They received many stares from the people around the camp, and most of them were of surprise, considering both Cinder's fearsome reputation and Ruby's particular injury.

They didn't really care, choosing to just let the sparks fly.

-x-

"Pyrrha!"

Jaune ran through the Emerald Forest, following his partner's trail. He had caught up to her the days before, but she had refused to talk to him. Eventually, they had stopped to rest and she just left before he woke up.

Luckily, the recent attacks on Beacon had thinned out the Grimm population in that region. The few monsters they encountered were smalls ones, like Boarbatusks, and Pyrrha had taken care of them easily. The blonde had been using their solid remains to keep track of where she was going.

He hoped he caught up to her before a bigger threat appeared. His greatest fear wasn't that she wouldn't she able to defeat it… But rather that she wouldn't be willing to.

Luckily, his hopes seemed to come true when he found Pyrrha kneeling on the dirt, her shoulders slumped and head hanging low.

"Pyrrha." Jaune called "Do you hear me?"

He walked to and crouched beside her. Her face was covered in dirt, but there were clean trails that indicated tears had streamed down it.

"Pyrrha… We need to go back." He spoke softly.

"I can't." The redhead whispered huskily "I can't go on. Just leave me, Jaune."

The blonde shook his head and stood up. He grabbed her by an arm and forced her to do the same.

"I'll never do that." He said "I am not going to let you destroy yourself!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha sobbed "I killed Penny."

"No, you didn't. You freed her." Jaune decided "I don't think she was ever coming back. You did the best you could do for her, even if she didn't know that."

The redhead looked at him angrily.

"And what about when another person gets corrupted? What then? Do we _free_ them too?" She asked bitterly "If I turned into a Grimm, would you free _me_?"

"That will never happen!" The boy protested "Listen to me. You are Pyrrha. You're strong, smart, beautiful, and you never give up! I will tear the world apart before I let anything happen to you, okay? We're facing whatever comes next _together_."

Pyrrha stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding.

"Let's go back to Beacon." Jaune said.

The redhead took his hand with hers.

"Yes… Let's go back." She repeated.

-x-

Yang leaned back on the tree branch, looking up at the night sky leisurely.

"_Watched you play, new each day…_" She sung under her breath "_I begged the time to slow…_"

She didn't really like slow, sad songs, and the fact that she considered herself a bad singer only accentuated that distaste, but this particular music was one she really appreciated. She had first heard it many years ago, and for some reason, it just spoke true to her.

_I guess I understand why now_.

Yang sat up and looked toward the place her sister was sleeping. She could see her silhouette, and also Cinder's. The blonde honestly didn't have the slightest idea of what that friendship (or whatever it was) was all about, and recent events did nothing to alleviate her worries of what might stem from it.

She sighed, deciding to just let Ruby be. The redhead wasn't a little girl anymore, after all.

"_Funny how our lives change, 'cause you're my hero now…_"

"Yang?"

The blonde almost fell down the branch in her surprise. She looked to the side and noticed Summer floating there with an impassive expression on her face.

"Uh… I wasn't singing." The girl said lamely.

"Don't worry, it was a nice song." The ghost complimented.

"You were listening?" Yang's face paled, and she decided to divert the topic before she embarrassed herself further "What are you doing here?"

"I'm checking up on you four, of course." Summer responded "I see the White Fang has agreed to become allied with Beacon."

The blonde nodded.

"It was pretty crazy, actually." She told "We invaded their secret base, tied them up, Blake defeated their leader and them won them over with a wonderful speech." Yang frowned "There was some other stuff too…"

"And that would be?" Summer insisted.

"Ruby and I got in a fight with Roman Torchwick. She got injured pretty badly."

The dead woman's stare flickered briefly.

"Is she fine?"

"She's recovering well." Yang assured, but then she shook her head "I couldn't stop it from happening… Torchwick completely dominated me. If it hadn't been for Cinder, we would both be dead."

"Cinder." Summer repeated "Ruby spoke of her before. She didn't go into much detail, however."

"She's okay, I guess." The blonde said "She was so angry at Torchwick that she killed him in the spot. It was a bit scary, but I would have done the same." Then she lowered her shoulders, as if there was something worse to talk about "I think Ruby and her are in love."

Summer blinked once, as if she was registering that phrase. After a few seconds, she just shook her head.

"I can't really give an opinion on her romantic life, or anything else besides this current crisis." She stated.

Yang looked at the ghost and smiled.

"You know, Summer, I think I've got you all figured out." She said "You try to make other people think you don't feel anything, that you're completely dead in almost every meaning of the word… But truly, you aren't. You do want to be in Ruby's life."

"You couldn't be farther from the truth." Summer refuted sadly "I _don't_ want to be in Ruby's life. I mean it."

"Whatever you say, oh unfeeling white figure."

The dead woman shook her head amusedly and looked at the distant figure of Ruby and Cinder.

"Whatever happens, one thing is for sure." She spoke "It can't be worse than the alcohol accident."

Yang's eyes widened.

"What the hell? I thought you didn't have a sense of humor!" She said "And I also thought you were ashamed of what happened that night!"

"I left all shame of my past at the grave." Summer smirked "And if you think I don't have a sense of humor… You truly don't understand me, Yang Xiao Long."

With that said, the woman disappeared. Yang leaned against the tree and crossed her arms. _Sure, make every damn entrance or exit dramatic. Why not, right?_ She thought bitterly. _Anyway… I don't feel like singing that again…_

She started humming another melody.

"_Hotter than the sun in the middle of July…_"

-x-

Yang woke up the next day feeling completely rejuvenated. It was like her talk with Summer had relaxed her… Even though they hadn't shared anything really substantial at all.

"You know what, Xiao Long?" She whispered "It's time to see your little sister!"

The blonde smiled and jumped down to the ground. She immediately started to walk towards her sister's resting place, and was pleased to find her standing up, flexing her arms. When the redhead caught sight of her, she squealed in delight.

"Sis!" The leader called.

Yang laughed and hugged her, almost lifting her up in the air. She then retreated and examined her from head to toe.

"You seem all right." The blonde stated "I'm sorry I didn't see you yesterday. I was busy being stupid on top of a tree."

"Okay." Ruby said. She had heard stranger explanations from her sister before "I would have gone looking for you, but I got several indications from several people to not do that."

"Good. It wouldn't weight well in my conscience if you collapsed while looking for me." Yang stated.

Ruby pouted.

"Hey, I'm not that weak. I can do some light running."

To demonstrate her point, she distanced herself from the brawler and started to jog at a moderate speed. Yang smiled amusedly, but that quickly faded when the redhead started to fall. Before she could help, however, another person stepped in and caught her.

"What did I, Weiss, _and_ Blake say about running?" Cinder asked disapprovingly.

"I wasn't running. I was _jogging_." Ruby defended herself weakly.

"Your body doesn't care about that." The brunette shook her head amusedly "Do you see what you do to me, Ruby? I've never spoken a phrase like that before."

"That's because I'm adorable." The redhead stated.

"…True."

Cinder leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips, which made the younger girl giggle a little.

Yang blinked repeatedly, not sure how to react to that scene. After a while, she just resorted to her default course of action: getting angry and surrounding herself in fire in the process.

"What the hell?!" She shouted.

"Uh…" Ruby said awkwardly "Yeah. So. Cinder. Me. Together."

"_What_?"

"She means we are together." Cinder cleared up.

Yang focused her gaze on the brunette and dashed to her. She grabbed her by the arms and slammed her against a tree, proceeding to stare at her face-to-face.

"You _bitch_." She grunted "I told you not to mess around with my sister! I wasn't joking!"

"Yang, please." Cinder pleaded "I didn't force her into anything."

"I don't care!" Yang yelled, raising a fist threateningly "You don't deserve her!"

The Dust warrior narrowed her eyes and kicked against the blonde, managing to break free in the process. She distanced herself and lifted her palms peacefully.

"Listen. I don't want any trouble." She stated "Just give me a chance to speak."

"No!" Yang refused. She looked at her sister desperately "She _killed_ Torchwick! And he suggested she killed other people too! How can you kiss someone like that, Ruby?"

At that point, many of the people in the camp had stopped what they were doing to watch this scene unfold. Even Weiss and Blake where amongst them, alarmed by the tension between their friends.

"I didn't want to kill Roman." Cinder said "But he was going to kill both of you. I wasn't thinking clearly. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same!"

"The difference here is that Ruby is my _sister_!" Yang pointed out "She's known me for all her life, so she knows I'm a good person. But you are a whole other story."

"You're blinded by rage."

"You'll be blinded by my fists!"

Yang dashed towards Cinder, raising an arm to punch her. However, a red blur crossed her vision and stopped in front of the Dust warrior, exploding in a shower of rose petals. Ruby panted, standing between the two with her arms spread wide.

"_STOP!_" She yelled.

The blonde skidded to a halt, but her expression was still furious.

"Get out of the way, Ruby Rose." She ordered "This is for your own good."

"No." The redhead refused.

"Either you step out of the way and let me beat Cinder up, or she leaves this camp and never sees you again."

Ruby stared at her sister silently, and then took Crescent Rose from her belt and unfolded it. She pointed the scythe at the blonde with a serious expression on her face.

"The only one here who needs to leave is you." She muttered "Speak to me again when you're done being a jealous child."

Yang flinched. Of course the two had argued before, like any other sisters in history did, but the way Ruby spoke now… She'd never heard her like that, so disappointed and angry at someone.

Before the blonde could say anything, the younger girl gasped and faltered, going unconscious after using her Semblance in her weakened state. Cinder reached forward and caught her before she hit the ground. The brunette arranged her in her arms, and then she looked at Yang, not with hatred, but sadness.

"I just want this to work out." The Dust warrior said briefly before walking away.

The brawler lowered her head and her entire body started to shake. She heard two sets of footsteps nearing her, but she aimed a fist at their direction.

"Leave me alone."

And with that, Yang left the camp weeping silently.

-x-

Summer appeared at the edge of a town. It was an old settlement on the border between Vale and Mystral, a place that represented the friendship between these two kingdoms. Many people passed there, Hunters, tradesmen and travelers alike.

She touched her feet to the ground, creating the illusion that she was actually standing. It was easier to blend in during the bright times of day, but still, she needed to take some more precautions. The ghost closed her eyes and focused her thoughts.

_Oliver Strider. Great Hunter during his time, his drive to do his job was immense. He also was a good friend._

Her appearance shifted until she looked like a young man wearing simple combat clothing, with a bow attached on her back. She nodded silently and "walked" to the center of the town.

She approached a group of Hunters and gestured to them.

"Gentlemen." She greeted, her voice sounding a little bit deeper "Any news about the Grimm around here?"

"They've been mostly quiet." One of them answered casually "Don't expect much trouble, or jobs, for that matter."

"The damn monsters are spread all over the continent." Another muttered.

Summer nodded appreciatively. _Then the Dark hasn't moved against Vale yet. That is good news for us… Too bad for the rest of the world_.

She was about to back away, but felt an ominous presence in the back of her head. The nearby men seemed to feel that too, looking around confusedly.

"Do you guys feel that?"

"Yes… It's when you stand close to a big Grimm, but much more intense."

Summer cursed silently, noticing she had to leave immediately. However, she hesitated and turned to the Hunters.

"You need to get out of here, _now_." She warned, shifting back to her usual form, much to their frighten "Don't stand there doing nothing! Gather everyone you can and _run_!"

Before any of them could do that, however, a wind blew across the town. It was not a natural one, too: the place grew dark, as if the breeze had moved the light from the place.

Suddenly, one of the men fell to the ground, screaming as a dozen Beowolves jumped on him viciously. His companions shouted, but they were soon swarmed too.

Summer cleared her mind and focused her thoughts on Beacon, like she always did when she wanted to transport herself quickly. However, she didn't even move a step. The woman gasped, realizing she couldn't even float anymore. In the middle of this darkness, it was like she was material again.

But the fact didn't bring her any joy, only fear, and she started running to the edge of town again, avoiding all the Grimm she could.

"**Don't run, little spirit.**"

The voice echoed throughout the town, carrying malice and horror.

"**I don't know who you are… But I can't let you just roam free…**"

Summer gasped and fell to her knees. It was like the dark was pressing all around her, defying her entire existence. She looked down at her arms, and was alarmed to find they were slowly starting to disappear.

"No…" She whispered "I can't… There's so much more I need to do…"

"**Despair, child, despair. Continue to delight me.**"

The woman gritted her teeth and stood up, narrowing her eyes as she faced the dark ahead.

"It won't end this way!"

She started running, building up speed gradually, touching on the powers she once possessed. Suddenly, she became a white blur, leaving a trail of pale rose petals behind.

A silhouette appeared in front of her, a humanoid form with no real traces. It was a being made purely of shadows, but she had no doubt it was alive.

"**There's no escape. Just give up.**"

"Never!"

She yelled, crashing through the being and continuing beyond, until she finally left the dark behind and rejoined the normal world. She looked down at herself, and saw shadows flickering around her form, and felt an excruciating pain as they burned against her before disappearing.

Summer panted and slowly started to float again. She looked at the consumed town, still able to hear the screams of pain and fear coming from it, but she both powerless and terrified to do anything to help the people trapped there.

_To Beacon._ She thought desperately. _To Ozpin_.

-x-

**Reviews!**

** Lojzek: What if I'm double sneaky and just make you think there will be pandemonium, but instead Cinder just becomes a regular character anyway? Or what if that last sentence is meant to be even more sneaky and augment the pandemonium? Huh? Do I need to sneak deeper?**

** woefulAdjudicator: Your concerns are very legitimate. I'm sure there were better ways for me to write the last chapter, but in the end, I can't put everything perfectly. But do know that the White Fang problem isn't over, as this chapter showed. There are things that are going to addressed soon in the story that will be related to those things you said, so be patient. I really appreciate the criticism, though!**

** Ihavenoidea: Yeah, it's so weird writing things when you don't know a lot about canon. I've no doubt in my mind that when RWBY volume 3 is released, there will be some things that will completely clash with this story (like I said last chapter, I'm certain Qrow is actually Yang's mother's brother). Hell, I'm also pretty sure Raven isn't even going to be Yang's mother. For all we know, she could be an older sister that's never been mentioned, just like Weiss never mentioned Winter until volume 2. So I might fall face first into hard cement, but I'm prepared for it.**

** Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	25. Wither

Night had come once again, and after spending the day organizing all materials and receiving instructions from Blake, the White Fang finally could rest again. There was a sense of strangeness in their actions, a result of the sudden change in their lifestyles… Some were struggling to adjust; others found it rather easy; but in the end, all of them felt satisfied with themselves when they went to sleep.

Adam Taurus smiled faintly as he watched his ex-subordinates. He was sitting on a rock in the edge of the camp, were no one would bother him. The redhead too felt strange, but he couldn't deny the new sense of peace that came upon him when he stopped leading these men.

He knew all of the members still feared him, and he was certain some of them actually expected him to resume his former position soon… But he wasn't going to do that. Adam was more than content with the new White Fang Blake was bringing together.

The man narrowed his eyes and looked to the right, hearing someone stepping lightly towards him. Cinder Fall stopped beside him, staring at him indecisively. Not once in so many years had he seen this powerful woman in such a conflicted state… The grunts might not notice it, or even the people closer to her, but Adam knew better than to be tricked by her façade of confidence.

"So you finally came to speak with me." He said casually "What brings you here tonight?"

"I have a request to make." She responded curtly.

"And what would that be?" Adam asked, although he had a fairly good idea of what the answer was.

"Don't tell anyone about my past."

He looked at her and smirked. _Just as expected_.

"I would question your motives, but I already know them." The redhead commented "It seems you have a heart, Cinder Fall. I don't know what you see in that Ruby Rose… But there's no doubt you truly care about her."

"I do." Cinder agreed honestly "That's why you need to keep quiet. I don't know how she would react to who I am… Who I _was_…" She lowered her head and continued slowly, as if the next words were hard for her to speak "Please, Adam. I can't lose her."

The man stared at her, impressed. He knew what she wanted, but he didn't think she would lower herself so far as to beg for his cooperation. Adam nodded solemnly.

"I won't speak a word about you." He said "But, tell me… Are you really throwing everything away? Your whole life you've been on a crusade against Ozpin. Are you going to just forget him?"

"I don't know if I can, but I will try. I've found better reasons to live." Cinder sighed "Eventually, I will meet him. Ruby works for him, and if I want to stay by her side… I'll have to do that too."

"How the tables turn." Adam spoke amusedly "In the end, you'll be doing exactly what you've been rebelling against."

The brunette looked at him silently, and he could see his words had an effect on her. After a few moments, she turned and walked away. Adam waited some minutes before looking behind him, directly at a nearby tree.

"Interesting stuff, right, Blake?"

After a few seconds, a figure dropped down from the branches and walked to him. She stared at him impassively.

"You can't fool me." He said "I trained you."

"How silly of me. I really should have let you stay free to do anything you wanted." She deadpanned.

"It's the best way to build trust." Adam noted.

Blake looked at the older faunus and then at the direction Cinder had walked off to.

"I suppose you won't tell me anything." She stated.

"Yes, it would be a bit of a rude move to just break my word after a few minutes." He agreed "Are you going to confront her?"

"…No." Blake decided "Once, I said Cinder and I weren't so different… I see now I really was right." She smiled sadly "I was given a chance to atone for my past actions. Why shouldn't she have one too?"

"As previously stated, not a single word about her will be spoken by me." Adam reminded "Anyway, I won't do anything bad tonight, okay? Go stay with your girlfriend or something."

The brunette shook her head.

"She's occupied."

"Oh, really? Is that what she told you?" He asked amusedly "You know tricky these Schnees can be."

"You're right. She's probably meeting secretly with a bunch of tyrants to genocide our race." She answered ironically.

"Good, we're still in the same page!"

Blake sighed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but… You were way easier to deal with when you just terrorized people."

-x-

Yang sat against a tree, hugging her legs tightly with her face buried between her knees. She had emptied her reservoir of tears hours ago, but still, the blonde couldn't bring herself to stand up.

It was a difficult situation for her. She had felt sad many times before in her life, but there was always a way to stop that: she redirected her sadness into anger, either it being at someone else, herself, or even the whole world.

This time, however, she had no options. She couldn't blame her sister, because in the end, Ruby was right. While Yang had her reasons for being concerned about her relationship with Cinder, she had overacted.

She couldn't blame Cinder, also. The Dust warrior had clearly shown she cared about Ruby, and the way she spoke to Yang after their conflict ended, just wanting to make things work… Whatever her past was, she deserved a chance.

She couldn't even be angry at herself. Yang had all the reasons to be protective! Ruby was her sister, and she'd never been involved with someone before… Who wouldn't try to intervene in that situation?

_And damnit, I can't even blame the world_. She thought. _I'm sure it's way more concerned with screwing other people over right now_.

"Hey, Dolt Queen."

Yang looked up and found Weiss staring at her seriously, her hands on her hips.

"I told you to leave me alone." The blonde croaked "And Dolt Queen is not a good nickname."

"It fits you." The once-heiress said. She sat beside her friend and looked at her sadly "How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" Yang retorted angrily "I feel like crap!"

"Because of Cinder?"

The brawler shook her head violently.

"No! I mean…" She muttered "I was angry at her, but not at _her_. I would be furious at anyone who dated my sister. Sure, it concerns me that she killed Torchwick, but Blake killed people too, right? And look at you two now…"

"I wouldn't say we have the most usual of relationships, but yes, we are very happy together." Weiss agreed "If this is not about Cinder… Is this about Ruby? She did speak very… un-Ruby-like, to you…"

"I'm not angry at her. I kinda deserved it…" Yang admitted "Ruby is grown-up now. She can make her own decisions, be them about romance or whatever… I can't really stop her…"

The blonde lowered her head.

"I guess that's it…" She whispered "Ruby doesn't need me anymore." The brawler felt tears return to her eyes "And even when she needed me… I couldn't help anyway, now could I? When she had nightmares, Blake helped her… When she ran off to Summer's grave, I couldn't stop her… And Torchwick…"

She let out a loud sob.

"He was going to kill her, and I could do _nothing_!"

Weiss hugged her friend, holding her tightly until her crying toned down. She shook her head slowly.

"You're not useless, if that's what you're thinking."

"I'm not sure that's true, Weiss." Yang refuted amusedly "I should leave the team and let Cinder take my place… Team CRWB, or something…"

"Don't think that way!" The once-heiress chided "Look, you're a dolt, occasionally a bigger one than your sister and sometimes, I just wanna feed you to Beowolves, but… I wouldn't trade you for anyone else. When Blake ran away and I broke down… You were the one who consoled me. And, as annoying as your teasing was, I think you were the one who made me realize my feelings for Blake…"

"What, her sexiness wasn't enough?" The blonde mocked.

Weiss smiled.

"That's what I mean… There's nobody like you, Xiao Long." She spoke "So maybe Ruby doesn't need you as much as before… But there are two other members on our team that love you too, and we're not letting you go away." The white-haired girl got up and put her hands on her hips "Now, get up and be usual Yang!"

The blonde laughed and got up too.

"You know, Ice Queen doesn't fit you anymore." She realized "How about… Warm Princess?"

"That's an awful name." Weiss refuted "Besides, Ice Queen has kind of grown on me."

"Excellent!" Yang exclaimed happily "Now I know we're one step closer to our eventual affair."

"… Never change, Dolt Queen."

-x-

Summer appeared in the middle of a road, gasping.

_What is wrong with me?_

She floated to the side of the road to prevent any drivers from panicking at the sight of someone standing in their way, and clutched her arms. She felt… pain, even though she had no body. It was like there was something gnawing away at the very core of her being.

_Beacon!_

She appeared a few meters away from her last position, and screamed silently. Summer had been at this for hours… It was as if there was something holding back her usual capabilities, trying to weight her down to the real world.

At first, she had thought that was a good thing… Maybe the Dark had made an error, and she was becoming material again. However, when she had stopped fighting her problem, the extremities' of her form had started to dissipate. She quickly started struggling again, but it was a draining process.

_I can't stop… I need to survive…_ She thought. _Beacon!_

She moved again, pain overwhelming her thoughts, leaving only fragments of phrases.

_Beacon!_

She could see the city lights now, far away, but she was getting closer.

_Beacon!_

Summer yelled painfully, not even moving now, just consumed by agony.

_OZPIN!_

-x-

The headmaster sighed, spinning his coffee mug unconsciously as he looked at his two visitors thoughtfully.

"It's good you came to see me." He began.

"Thank you, professor." Pyrrha said in a low tone "Although I didn't really want to talk about this…" She gave her partner a quick glare "Jaune forced me to come here."

"Well, be grateful you have such a considerate partner." Ozpin said.

Jaune raised his eyebrows comically to the redhead, who rolled her eyes amusedly.

_I can see this isn't really needed. Mister Arc could handle this all by himself._ The professor thought. _But a few kind words won't hurt._

"I understand you feel guilty about Penny's end."

"Yes…" Pyrrha muttered "I know she was evil, but… She was such a sweet girl. It's difficult to believe she was totally corrupted."

"I can't claim I know everything about the Grimm, much less about the conversion of a human or faunus into one of them." Ozpin said "But long ago, I lost many friends to this cruel fate, and not one of them ever showed a hint of their former selves."

"What about what Jaune saw before I… killed Penny?"

Ozpin gave a look of curiosity to the blond boy, who squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

"When Penny was going to kill me, I called for her. For a moment, her eyes retained their normal color." Jaune lifted his arms meekly "I was probably being hopeful and imagined that."

"Your theory might be correct." The headmaster agreed "But we can't forget how eager the Dark is to taunt and terrorize us… It might have made Penny do that to confound you."

Jaune nodded, agreeing with that idea. However, Pyrrha was not satisfied.

"And when she was torn apart?" She asked "Her head remained, her eyes were normal, her voice was normal…"

"As I said, I can't speak for certain, especially in this case." Ozpin reminded "Perhaps the fact Penny was a robot made it possible for the Dark to _leave_ her body when it found fitting, and that was when she was dying. It would further its plan to terrorize us."

"So you're saying even when it lost, the Dark won." Pyrrha said bitterly "It is just manipulating us however it wants to."

She closed her fists and looked down at her lap.

"How can we win against such a foe?" The redhead asked "What about when we confront it ourselves, and it just tears us apart? It will turn friends into enemies in a heartbeat."

"If there is one thing I am a hundred percent certain about, is that what you are suggesting right now is impossible." Ozpin interrupted "The Dark can't corrupt anyone so fast, and it can't do it in mass. Some people are especially difficult to turn over, depending on who they are and people around them."

"So… We use the power of love?" Jaune deadpanned.

"…Or hope. Or friendship. Or coffee." The headmaster suggested "We _can_ fight, Miss Nikos. Your bond with Mister Arc, for example, will be very helpful. The Dark won't attempt to turn either of you over, because it knows it can't surpass the link between you two."

"So it really _is_ the power of love!" The boy said in wonderment.

Pyrrha shot him a warning look, and he shrugged.

"Power of friendship." He corrected.

Ozpin smiled amusedly.

"Well, it seems you two can deal with this by yourselves." He spoke "It is night, so you want to rest. You may skip tomorrow's training if you want to, but I hope you won't-"

Suddenly, a white blur appeared beside his desk. Summer doubled forward, groaning painfully. Jaune and Pyrrha yelled in fright and jumped from their seats, and Ozpin almost spilled his coffee, but managed to maintain his composure.

"Well, that's the first time you ever botched a dramatic entrance, Summer." He realized, and then looked at his students awkwardly "This is… Uh… Ruby Rose's dead mother."

"_What._" The two blurted out.

"It's a long story." The headmaster dismissed "You should go to your dormitory."

Jaune and Pyrrha nodded slowly and exited the room, never taking their eyes off the ghost. When they were gone, Ozpin got up from his seat and neared Summer, examining her closely.

"Summer?" He called softly "Are you alright?"

"I… The Dark…"

She groaned again, and a spark of dark light left her form. The woman whimpered, her face contorted in pain. The headmaster looked around helplessly. He couldn't even offer her a chair…

"Well…" He said awkwardly "You can't die twice, right? So you're probably going to get better."

"Shut up… You moron…" Summer groaned with gritted teeth "I was at a town… At the border with Mystral. The Dark… It attacked it."

Ozpin's face darkened. He sat on his chair again and looked at the woman seriously.

"It is targeting us now." The headmaster stated "Its plan to use Penny and destroy us in a single move didn't work, and that angered it."

"Yes, it is angry." Summer agreed "It… It took physical form."

A shiver ran down Ozpin's spine at that phrase.

"When it takes physical form, everything around it is consumed by darkness." He remembered "How did you survive, Summer?"

The woman closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to lower a bit before speaking again.

"In that darkness, I took physical form too, I believe." She theorized "I called upon my Semblance, and managed to escape before I was fully consumed… But you see the aftermath of the exposure now."

"Yes, it looks painful." Ozpin noted "Do you _feel_ pain?"

Summer looked at him exasperatedly, and he took notice of how stupid of a question that was after he saw her groaning and doubling over. The professor gestured with a hand, trying to appease the ghost.

"You're welcome to rest here for as long as you want." He invited "It's the middle of the night, so you probably won't scare any other students."

"…Thank you."

She floated still in front of his desk, and the two avoided each other's gaze awkwardly. Summer looked around the office curiously.

"So…" She started "Where's Glynda?"

"Infirmary." Ozpin answered "Her injury was pretty bad, but she's recovering slowly… And working hard, despite the doctor's recommendations against it."

"You didn't stop her personally?" The woman asked disapprovingly.

"And let the whole school shut down?" The headmaster retorted amusedly "There's some things even an immortal man can't do by himself, and running an academy is one."

Summer shook her head slowly. Now that she was still, and not trying to move desperately, the pain was going away. She could see a few dark sparks jumping out of her form now and then, and each time that happened, her agony decreased even more.

"Well, I hope she gets well." She sighed "How do you feel about what happened?"

"With Penny?" Ozpin asked distractedly, looking through a few of his papers, but she knew he was just pretending to work.

"With James Ironwood."

The headmaster signed a paper quickly, not answering her question. He lifted his head and smiled.

"You know what this reminds me of?" He asked.

"…What?" Summer asked tiredly.

"The years after you graduated." Ozpin reminisced "You would get missions done, and then return to the school and pay me a visit. You were a very sweet girl at that age, always excited to tell me about your adventures."

"I remember that too." She glared at him "You should know better than to speak of those times."

The professor nodded, agreeing completely with her position. It was better for the both of them if that was topic was avoided.

"I checked on RWBY." Summer told "They are doing fine. The White Fang have a good leader in Belladonna. I believe she'll manage to contain most of the chaos from their part."

"I knew she could do a good job." Ozpin said proudly "What about the others?"

"Schnee is fine. Yang is… conflicted. I found her on a tree branch, singing a sad song about watching loved ones grow up…"

"Interesting." The headmaster commented "What's the reason behind that?"

Summer smirked.

"Ruby seems to be in love with a girl by the name of Cinder Fall."

-x-

"Ruby!" Cinder called "You know you shouldn't be doing this!"

The redhead sighed and turned around. They were in the middle of the woods surrounding their camp at the base of Mountain Glenn. She thought she had been sneaky, but the Dust warrior was too perceptive for her plan to succeed.

"Aw…" She complained "I just want to find Yang."

"You can't. You should be _resting_." The brunette chided.

Ruby pouted and stared at her pleadingly. Cinder tried to avoid her gaze, but failed to.

"You're a manipulative girl, Ruby Rose." She sighed "We can search for Yang, but together, and at a slow pace."

"Yay!"

The redhead skipped to Cinder and kissed her on the cheek. The older girl smiled and started walking, taking her hand so they would be at the same rhythm. The two began to search the woods leisurely.

"I'm really sorry for what happened, Ruby." Cinder said "I should have asked for Yang's permission first."

"There are three problems with that." The leader noted "One: she would have said no. Two: she would have beaten you up. Three: we kinda kissed in the middle of the night, so she was probably sleeping then."

"You can be really rational when you put your mind to it." The brunette complimented "I am certain you're actually really thoughtful all the time, but put up a façade so people underestimate you…"

"What does underestimate mean?"

Cinder narrowed her eyes.

"You can't trick me." She warned "You know exactly what I'm talking about, and I'm _right_."

"Hey, a person _can_ be bubbly and smart! I'm not faking anything!" Ruby protested.

"_And_ adorable."

The redhead giggled happily. Cinder stopped walking and pointed to a hill they could see through the middle of the trees.

"How about we get up there?" She suggested "We'll have a better chance to spot your sister from somewhere higher."

"Good idea!" Ruby said "But… I can't exert myself too much, considering my injury…"

"You _are_ manipulative." The Dust warrior repeated amusedly "You can climb on my back."

"Best. Girlfriend. _Ever_!" The younger girl squealed.

Cinder laughed as she climbed to her back, holding her shoulders tightly so she wouldn't fall. The brunette smirked and decided to give her girlfriend a rush, taking off into a run.

She raced up the hill with Ruby yelling excitedly, and when they finally reached the top, Cinder dropped her on the ground on her back.

"Change of plans." The redhead decided "Let's look at the clouds."

The Dust warrior smiled and lied next to the girl. She felt a hand clasp one of hers, and sure enough, when she looked to the side, Ruby was right there, pressing against there. They stared at each other, and the redhead's eyes were almost shining with joy…

_This is surreal_. Cinder thought. _There is not a chance I could ever deserve something like this… Is this some sick joke made to punish me?_

The brunette closed her eyes for a few seconds, suddenly feeling wrong about reciprocating that look.

"Hey, Cinder."

She opened her eyes hesitantly, and found Ruby grinning at her.

"I was just thinking…" The redhead started in a soft tone of voice "Isn't it funny how everything happened between us? I had no idea who you were at the Dance… And while there are some things about your past I don't know about… I think I know you very well. It's been maybe a little more than a week since we've started to travel together, but I feel like I know I've known you for a lot longer."

"I must admit I've thought about that too." Cinder confessed, looking up at the sky thoughtfully "I don't know what I did to earn this… You're like a… blessing. What do you see in me, Ruby?"

The redhead pondered the question for a few minutes. How was she supposed to answer that? There were a million things she liked about Cinder, but it wasn't like she had mental list of them. She wondered if Weiss or Blake would be able to answer a similar inquiry in regards to their relationship…

"I don't know for sure." Ruby started "… You do everything with so much confidence, but it's not to appeal to others, only yourself. And even though you say you need to keep your emotions under control… You do show them, sometime subtly, other times more clearly… And it always feels so genuine to me." The redhead's eyes lowered sadly "I think there's something inside you, Cinder, which you don't tell anybody about. It's something you struggle against, I can tell… But I have no idea what it is."

"…Do you want me to tell you?" Cinder asked hesitantly.

"Nope." The younger girl answered simply.

"Really? And you're still willing to stay with me?" The brunette said in wonderment.

"I think I know you good enough by now. There's nothing that could change my feelings about you."

Cinder's world seemed to slow down when she heard that sentence.

_You don't know what you are saying, Ruby_. She spoke mentally. _If you ever find out the truth… The one who will be the most hurt will be you._

She knew she should just stop everything right now, just get up, apologize, and leave the girl alone. It would break her heart, but it would be nothing compared to what could come if she didn't do it now.

But looking at Ruby's silver eyes, so full of joy and naiveté, she just couldn't bring herself to do the right thing. Instead, Cinder leaned towards her girlfriend and kissed her, holding her by the cheeks gently.

When she backed away, both were smiling contently. Their happiness was cut short, however, when a new voice rang to them.

"Get away from her."

The two jumped to their feet. Summer looked at the two, her face devoid of emotion, but her tone had been harsh. Ruby stared at her in frustration, while Cinder took a few steps back, shocked by her ghostly appearance.

"What are you doing here?" The redhead girl asked annoyed.

"I'm stopping this disaster from escalating any further." Summer responded sharply.

"Good luck, then." Ruby retorted rebelliously "Yang already tried, but she didn't succeed. She at least had violence at her side… What do you have?"

The woman's eyes sparked briefly with anger, but it was soon redirected to Cinder when the brunette spoke.

"What is happening?" She asked "Who is this, Ruby?"

"Oh… Well…" The leader scratched her head, not really sure how to answer "She's my mother."

"You said your mother was dead."

"I didn't lie!" Ruby protested "How many living people can float and appear out of nowhere? _None_."

The chatter was interrupted when Summer appeared in front of Cinder, blocking her vision to her girlfriend. She stared down at the Dust Warrior's eyes, obviously as a warning.

"I know about you, Cinder Fall. _Everything_." She told "So, let's do this the easy way. Just walk away while you still can… Ozpin promises you'll be left alone as long as you don't harm anyone under his guard."

The brunette gasped. If Ozpin was being mentioned, there was no doubt this woman truly knew about her. She stepped back, panic starting to spread slowly through her mind. When Ruby walked to the side, making herself able to be seen again, Cinder gritted her teeth.

_There's nothing that could change my feelings about you_.

The words echoed in Cinder's head. The usual, wise part of her knew she should just comply with Summer, but now it seemed dwarfed by this other part that she never knew existed… Full of hope, peace, and love.

"Ruby. I need you to listen to me." Cinder spoke seriously "Whatever you hear… It doesn't matter anymore."

"W-what do you mean?" The redhead stammered, now unnerved by the tense atmosphere which had suddenly taken the top of the hill.

Summer shot Cinder a cold look before looking at her daughter.

"This woman is a murderer." She revealed "Roman Torchwick wasn't the only one. Her record goes back almost twelve years."

"That isn't true." Ruby refuted stubbornly.

"She's not lying." Cinder conceded "I killed many people. But it wasn't my choice! It took me years to learn to control my powers, and even then, I lost myself sometimes."

The younger girl looked at the brunette in shock. Her arms trembled and she moved her head to the side with her eyes closed. After a few seconds, she looked back at her mother with determination.

"Cinder told me all about her problem with emotions. She doesn't like killing people." Ruby spoke firmly "It's awful that she did that… But the only reason she didn't tell me was because I said she didn't need to."

Cinder's face brightened. She knew this knowledge would still weight heavily on their relationship… But at least now she could she a shimmer of hope coming through.

"She did have problems controlling her powers." Summer agreed, still cold "But she learned much faster than she would have you believe. The deaths stopped being accidents shortly after her tenth birthday."

"You have no proof." Ruby said shakily.

"Of each one of them? Of course not." The ghost spoke, and then she narrowed her eyes at Cinder "But why would she have connections with the White Fang?"

The Dust warrior cursed mentally. This was something she had no way to answer well… Her allegiance with the White Fang was the reason she worked with Ruby in the first place, so she couldn't even claim Summer was lying.

"I was… confused." She muttered "I wanted some way to vent, to let my anger leave me… The White Fang offered that."

Cinder looked at Ruby, and this time, it was clear the girl was not going to defend her. The redhead backed away slowly, staring at her girlfriend in quiet shock.

Summer opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a ring of fire exploded around the brunette. Cinder clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. The flames danced wildly, sometimes rising up high into the air and then lowering into the ground, as if she could barely keep them under control.

"Nothing I did was _my_ fault!" She exclaimed bitterly "I was forced into that life by your headmaster!"

"W-what?!" Ruby stammered "What does Ozpin have to do with this?"

"_Everything!_" Cinder yelled. She pointed to the fire around her as it rose and fell "_He_ did this to me!"

The redhead's eyes widened, and she looked to her mother for an explanation. Summer's face still was unsympathetic.

"She is telling the truth." The dead woman told grudgingly "Shortly after he learned the Dark was awake, Ozpin started to gather young children. He took most of them from orphanages or the streets… He wanted to find a way to create a powerful weapon to combat the Dark. Infusing someone's body with Dust was the method he settled with."

Ruby's mind was a mess right now. Everything she thought she knew was being thrown up in the air… Cinder's past… Ozpin's character… Her mother's conscience… It was too much to take in such a short amount of time.

_Not many people are willing to trust your headmaster right now, but I'm not one of these people._

_ Immortality is not as great as it sounds._

_ Happy birthday, sweetheart._

Ruby took her scythe from her belt and held it tightly, her knuckles going white with how fiercely she was wielding it. She looked like she could run away at any moment now.

"Ozpin is not the great man you think he is." Cinder accused, her fire stabilizing, although her expression was still furious "He might have killed a hundred children trying to create a weapon, and when he finally managed to do it… He just left me abandoned with a woman I did not even know."

"Don't you dare speak of Anna." Summer muttered "I knew her personally. She was the sweetest person I've ever met… And you killed her."

"It's not my damn fault!"

The flames exploded again, but this time Summer dived right in the middle of them and faced the crazed girl.

"Ozpin can't be held responsible for your actions." She said "You might have had an awful childhood, one that nobody deserves, but that doesn't mean you have the right to kill people in your anger."

"I _stopped_." Cinder stated "For years, the only one I wanted to kill was Ozpin himself."

"You had the opportunity. He was never guarded; all you needed to do was to get inside Beacon and confront him."

"T-that's right." Ruby muttered "You got into the dance… That was when you introduced yourself and said you weren't in good terms with him. Were you there to… kill Ozpin?"

Cinder's fire started spinning quickly around her, but she didn't speak a single word. Summer looked back at her daughter and nodded.

"She was gathering information. Something that would make Ozpin suffer." The woman stated "She met you, Ruby."

The redhead unfolded her scythe and pointed it at Cinder, tears blurring her eyes.

"You… You wanted to kill me? Me and the rest of the team, so Ozpin would suffer?" She asked "That's why you offered your help?!"

Suddenly, the fire died down. Cinder lifted an arm pleadingly to Ruby, and she could see the skin on that hand becoming covered with a thin layer of ice. The brunette closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a single tear fell down her face.

"Yes."

Almost unconsciously, Ruby pulled back the trigger. The Dust warrior was hit by the round, her Aura shattering a bit at the point of impact, but she only stumbled back and stared at the redhead sadly.

Ruby shot again, and again, and again, her own tears falling down her face, but she couldn't stop herself until the magazine was empty.

Cinder swayed, her vision slowly being covered by black dots. She felt the sensation of a warm liquid running down her body. Not bothering to look down, the brunette simply palmed herself until she touched a hole below her right shoulder.

"Ruby…" She whispered "I-I… Sorry…"

Cinder fell backwards, rolling down the hill, leaving a bloody trail behind her.

Ruby looked down at her scythe, not releasing any sound at all. Summer floated to her and stared at her consolingly.

"I am sorry this had to happen." She said softly "But you can't-"

"Shut up."

The ghost halted all movement as her daughter looked back up at her.

"Don't ever talk to me again." Ruby's voice was barely audible "Everything was fine until you came along… So just leave."

Summer's lips parted, but she stopped when she realized how the girl was looking at her. This wasn't right… Nobody should ever look at someone so venomously, especially Ruby.

"Go away." The daughter insisted "_I hate you_."

-x-

Weiss faked a cough as she looked up a tree, Blake standing amusedly beside her. This had been the first time in days they were able to relax during the day, and searching tree tops was not what she was expecting.

Much to the brunette's surprise, Yang looked down at them and smiled faintly.

"Hey, you brought Blake this time." She raised her eyebrows suggestively "Is therapy getting upgraded?"

"What?" The faunus asked confusedly.

"Don't give it a single thought, it's just Yang's usual blabber." Weiss urged.

"Good one, Ice Queen!" The blonde whispered, even though Blake could obviously hear it too "She'll never find out about our late-night meetings!"

Blake raised an eyebrow, but decided to not indulge her friend this time. Yang dropped to the ground and looked at the two of them.

"So… Why was I called upon?" She asked.

"Well… I thought that since you had a good night of sleep, which clearly improved your mood…" Weiss said "You should speak with Ruby."

"Are you trying to tell me how I should manage relations with _my_ sister?"

"Hey, I have a younger sister too!" The once-heiress frowned "Well, I was not that good to her… And when I tried to be nice she was a bitch… And then I got disowned…"

"You should speak with Ruby." Blake interrupted, knowing her girlfriend had slipped into tricky territory.

Yang sighed.

"You're right. I need to apologize to her, and to Cinder too."

Her teammates lifted their thumbs positively, and then the three made their way to Ruby's usual spot. Weirdly enough, she wasn't there.

"Uh, where _is_ Ruby?" The blonde asked.

"…Wait, did she notice you had returned to camp?" Blake questioned.

"Nope."

"Then she went out looking for you." The faunus sighed "Hopefully, she won't hurt herself. Cinder probably went with her."

Much to their surprise, Ruby suddenly exited the edge of the trees. Her head was hanging low, her shoulders slumped, and even worse, she was dragging Crescent Rose against the ground. She cared about that weapon like people cared about their relatives, so something was _seriously_ wrong.

Yang rushed to her, stopping the redhead on her tracks. When the younger girl didn't say anything, her sister lifted her head by the chin, and was shocked to see her eyes were bloodshot.

"Ruby?" The blonde said softly "What happened?"

It took a long time for a response to come, and by the time it did, Weiss and Blake had joined them, enclosing their friend in a worrying triangle.

"Cinder…" The redhead croaked.

Weiss flinched. She had been suspicious of their ally, but hadn't really pressed the issue after the first days they passed together, mostly because the once-heiress thought it was just her usual cold attitude to people she didn't know in effect again. Now, she felt guilt about not questioning Cinder further.

Blake had a similar reaction, and the way she winced was so clashing with her usual composure that it was a miracle the others didn't notice it. She had heard Adam and Cinder discuss some shady stuff about her past, but she left the Dust warrior alone anyway. If Ruby was hurt by her, Blake would never forgive herself.

The strongest reaction was from Yang. Her eyes turned red, but she wasn't angry at Ruby, for not listening to her the day before; or even at Cinder, who was the cause of this. Instead, she was just angry because something made her sister cry, and that should never happen.

"What happened, Ruby?" The blonde repeated "What did Cinder do to you?"

"She didn't do anything to me…"

Ruby's whole body trembled, and with a loud sob, she let Crescent Rose hit the ground.

"I killed Cinder."

-x-

**Reviews!**

** Lojzek: If the sneakiness is not the key... Then the punch will be! Also, there will be much Adam in the near future (yay?) **

** Ihavenoidea: That's a great spectrum of emotions. I have a rule about Semblance genetics, which I won't reveal right now because spoilers. I don't think it will take a lot of time to get to that point, though...**

** Cyborg: Neo is alive. She left the White Fang, because her loyalty was with Torchwick in the end. I should have put this in the story itself, but I didn't find a good spot to squeeze it in. Thank Dust for Word of God. Also, Cinder is/was 18-19, which I don't think is her canon age. Ruby is 16, so at most it's a 3-year gap.**

** Oh-the-humanity-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	26. Burdened souls

"_As you can see, most of the city's west district's structure collapsed during the attack. From what we have heard from the local people, the damage happened quickly and mercilessly as the sun set yesterday."_

_ The reporter walked hurriedly through the ruined streets of Ardos, an important city at the border between Vale and Atlas. She was holding her microphone close to her mouth, looking back at the camera, trying to appear professional, but it was clear from her body language and her eyes darting everywhere that she was scared to death of that place._

_ "It is unknown how many people died during the Grimm attack, but all survivors are gathered at the city's north. The plan is to evacuate everyone to Atlas capital." The woman froze for a moment as a piece of a building wall fell to the ground near them. She gulped and looked seriously at the camera "We urge anybody that lives near this area to do the same as these survivors. Gather everyone you can and head to the capital. The Grimm seem to have left Ardos, but we have no clues as to where they are headed-"_

_Her eyes widened and she pointed to the cameraman, letting her equipment fall. She opened her mouth to yell something, but the screen suddenly became pitch black. The last thing that happened before the transmission was cut off were the screams of terror and pain from the channel's crew._

Wade Schnee turned off the television and buried his face on his hands. The room was dark around him, and a sense of dread overwhelmed him. It was not only the horrible things he had seen in that broadcast that bothered him; his mind was focused on somewhere far away, someone else.

The darkness was breached by a ray of light as the door was opened behind him. He looked back and saw Winter staring at him apprehensively at the mansion's hallway.

"Father?" She called hesitantly "Is something wrong?"

_What a dumb question._ The girl thought. _Everything is wrong_.

Wade looked at her for a few moments, thinking quietly.

"Ardos was attacked. The people are being evacuated to Atlas." He finally told.

"Ardos?" Winter repeated "That's… very near here."

The heiress walked to his side and laid a hand on his shoulder, frowning worriedly.

"Shouldn't we leave too, father?"

"… We are not leaving." The businessman said firmly.

Winter took a step back and braced herself. She knew that tone of voice, and what he could do when he used it. A faint pain emerged in her stomach as a warning and reminder, but somehow, she felt the courage to speak again.

"You can't mean that. We'll die if we stay here."

"…We will leave, eventually. But not to Atlas." Wade stated "The reality is, this kingdom is not fit to fight this threat. It has a reputation for its strength at war, but it's a lie. Should there ever be a war with any of the other kingdoms, we would lose." He shook his head "We try to fight with technology, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Hunters."

"Wait… Do you mean…?"

Wade's eyes darkened, and Winter flinched at that sight.

"This has nothing to do with Weiss." He said "It's about our safety. Vale is the best chance we have, and fortunately, headmaster Ozpin and I once talked about an alliance… I am sure he'll be willing to discuss it again."

The girl nodded quietly. The president smiled faintly.

"We'll survive, Winter." He assured "We are Schnees. Nothing can defeat us, as long as we stay together."

_Indeed, we are Schnees_. Winter thought, nodding all the while. _But is that something to be proud of?_

-x-

"So, you six will be group number eleven." Blake said.

A few White Fang stood in front of her, patiently hearing her commands. This was the last day they would be staying in the camp. The helicopters from Beacon were to arrive tomorrow morning, and the men needed to be organized now, or else the boarding would be a mess.

It also provided a precious opportunity to know some of the members better, although she had to admit she couldn't remember many of their names. She felt a little guilty, but supposed that she would probably become more familiarized with them as the time passed.

"You'll be on helicopter number three, with group eight, nine and ten." The brunette finished.

Weiss was also assigning the groups nearby, so she overheard that last phrase. The once-heiress made an apologetic gesture to the White Fang she was addressing and walked to her girlfriend.

"Group eleven and twelve were already formed, and they're on helicopter number four." She warned.

"Oh." Blake said, a bit ashamed "Well, then you guys will be group thirteen…"

"I'm forming that one right now." Weiss interrupted "Sorry, guys, we need a little moment."

The once-heiress grabbed her by an arm and led her a few meters away from the men. She frowned worriedly and stared at the brunette.

"You're slipping." She said "Before, you made group five? I already had that _and_ six. I just reassigned mine, figuring it wasn't a big deal. But I can see there's something wrong, Blake."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Blake sighed "I'm not in my right mind today."

The faunus took her girlfriend's hands. Months before, she would have lied that she was exhausted, or that she hadn't being paying attention to Weiss' assigning the groups. But she wouldn't ever do that again.

_I've lied enough for three persons' lifetimes_. Blake thought. _Besides, it's not like she would believe anything but the truth_.

"I'm worried about Ruby." She admitted.

Weiss nodded.

"I am too." The white-haired girl said "She's suffering a lot. But Yang's at her side, always. Everything will be okay."

"I wish I could believe that." Blake spoke seriously "You don't know how it feels, Weiss, to kill someone. It's horrible, and I can only imagine what Ruby is feeling like considering it was both the first time she did it, and it was Cinder."

"You're right. I don't have a clue."

Weiss looked at her feet, but Blake was quick to hug her comfortingly.

"Don't feel bad. It's good that you don't know these things." The faunus said "The best you can do for Ruby right now is work. Make everything go smoothly, so that she isn't bothered."

"You're right." Weiss agreed "I'll do your work for you today. Go talk to Ruby… You both could use a chat."

"Thank you, Weiss. I would just mess everything up anyway." Blake smirked "Heiress or not… You make a good leader."

The Dust user smiled and gave her a quick kiss before heading back to the White Fang. The brunette watched her for a while before walking towards Ruby's spot.

The redhead was sitting against a tree, looking emotionlessly at her own lap. Beside her was Yang, who had a sad expression. The blonde's face brightened a bit when she noticed Blake's presence, and she jumped up to meet her.

"I thought you were organizing stuff." She said.

"You could call it that. I was distracted and started messing things up, so Weiss took over completely." The brunette nodded towards Ruby "How is she doing?"

"I don't know, Blake." Yang frowned "She's barely spoken to me, and hardly anything meaningful. She's stopped crying, but I don't know if that's a good thing…"

"I want to talk to her." The faunus spoke "Just me and her. I don't mean to disrespect you, but… There are some things you can't talk about with her."

The blonde nodded, understanding exactly what her friend meant.

"It's alright. I trust you, Blake." She said "I'll be nearby, but you'll have all the privacy you want."

The brunette smiled gratefully. Yang grinned and walked away.

Blake's face grew serious as she moved to Ruby's side. She kneeled beside the redhead, staring at her closely.

"Hey, Ruby." She called softly.

The younger girl looked up for a split second and answered her with a "hi" that was barely audible.

"The helicopters are arriving tomorrow morning." Blake told "We'll be back to Beacon in no time. Isn't that great?" The brunette smiled faintly "Nice soft beds, our own room… And we'll talk to JNPR again."

The best answer she got was a slight movement of Ruby's head. The faunus sighed. Talking about small matters could help people in suffering, but sometimes, it didn't work at all.

"How are you feeling, Ruby?"

"… I don't know." The redhead muttered.

"Yeah… It's not something you can describe." Blake agreed "I can't relate exactly to what you're going through, and I know it's frustrating when someone tries to do that, but… You're not alone, Ruby." The brunette took one her friend's hands "I killed a lot of people in the past. It was horrible, and I hated myself for many years. There's still a part of me that can't move on… But I promise you, Ruby, it gets better. You don't need to hate yourself, okay?"

Ruby stayed quiet, but Blake waited patiently to know if she would say anything. When she didn't, the faunus squeezed her hand.

"You'll be okay, Ruby. Me, Weiss, Yang… We all love you. Don't forget that."

When she got no answer, Blake got up and walked away. Yang passed by her, and the brunette briefly stopped her by touching her arm.

"Stay with her." She said sharply "_Do not_ let her out of your sight."

The blonde nodded and walked to her sister, sitting beside her. Blake looked at them for a few minutes before deciding to go back to Weiss.

-x-

Ozpin sat in his office. There were no lights on, but he was still there, in front of his desk. His hands were on his forehead and his elbows on the table, but he wasn't sleeping, only resting. He didn't remember the last time he had slept since this crisis had begun.

A flash of white caught his attention, and when he looked up, Summer Rose was in front of him. He started to get up to turn the lights on, but the woman extended a hand to make him stop.

"…What is it?" The headmaster asked hoarsely.

"You're a monster." The ghost stated, barely holding back her rage.

"What happened with Cinder Fall?" He insisted.

"She's dead." Summer muttered "_Ruby_ killed her."

Ozpin stared at her and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off before he could.

"You are despicable, Ozpin. Everything that girl said to defend herself… She was right. You _ruined_ her, turned her into a killer freak." Summer accused "And because of that, my daughter was forced to kill her. You may not give a damn about her, but _I_ do, and heaven knows what will happen to her!"

"I did not order for Cinder to be killed." The headmaster stated "I said she needed to be driven away."

"It doesn't matter! You caused this to happen. Cinder targeted RWBY because of their affiliation to you." The ghost continued "You created a monster. Don't you have a conscience, Ozpin?"

The professor looked at his desk for a few moments before answering.

"I do have a conscience." He said "I didn't like the experiments, I didn't like that so many children died, and I certainly didn't like what Cinder became. I know it's all my fault… But I thought it was needed. Tell me, if Cinder had a normal childhood, wouldn't she have been a great help to our cause?"

"That didn't happen, Ozpin. She grew up knowing she went through experiments other had died to perfect, and she knew her future was to be a weapon for your use… She killed Anne, and after that, it was all over." Summer answered "You didn't even try to raise her yourself… But well, I shouldn't be surprised. You're so invested in this façade of happiness and positivity, that when faced with any real burden, you'll run away and hide."

Ozpin listened to her patiently, although he couldn't help but frown at her words. It wasn't because he was offended… It was because they were true.

"It's why you leave most of Beacon's care to Glynda." Summer continued "And it's why when Ironwood died, you pretended to not be grieving." She shook her head, smiling sadly "The worst thing is… You've got everybody else fooled; only I know better."

After that, the room was taken by silence. Ozpin looked at Summer's ghostly form, noticing how she eyed him with a mixture of anger, disappointment and pity. At that moment, he felt the need to say something, to prove her at least a bit wrong.

"I'm sorry about what happened." He spoke "I do care about Ruby."

"I know you do." The woman sighed "But still, she's just another thing you run away from."

With that said, she disappeared, leaving Ozpin alone in the darkness.

-x-

Ruby looked at Crescent Rose's folded form, sitting atop her lap. She ran a finger at the weapon's surface unconsciously. Everything was so strange… Her thoughts didn't make any sense, it was like her mind just picked random things at once and threw it around however it wanted. The only constant was the sad, heavy feeling they all possessed.

Amidst these thoughts, a vague idea formed. After a few minutes of consideration, she poked her sister with an elbow. Yang looked at her startled.

"Ruby?" She said "What's wrong?"

"I want water." Ruby answered, making her voice sound hoarse "Can you get me some?"

_Do not let her out of your sight_. Blake's words echoed through Yang's head.

"I can wake someone to get it for you." The blonde offered "Weiss and Blake are nearby, either one of them wouldn't mind."

"Don't." Ruby begged "They are working all day. Let them rest."

"I can't leave you alone, sis."

The redhead pouted and looked away. Yang felt a pang of guilt at that sight. Ruby had barely spoken to her since the incident, but she had just turned her down. The brawler sighed and got up.

"I'll be back before you know it." She said "Don't do anything while I'm gone, okay?"

Ruby nodded happily, which was so striking when compared to her current mood that it made Yang smile and think she really was getting better. The older sister walked away contently.

After the blonde was gone, Ruby looked at Crescent Rose again. She raised it and it unfolded, revealing the beautiful scythe she was so proud of. Right now, however, she was only disgusted at the sight of it.

She spun it around a bit, and then touched the weapon to her chest, making contact with the component in which its rounds were released. The redhead closed her eyes and reached for the trigger-lever at its side, gripping it with force.

A few seconds passed as she breathed calmly, letting her Aura fade around her body. Ruby listened to her heart beat, and slowly started to move the lever. She let out a startled gasp when Crescent Rose was suddenly removed from her grip forcefully.

"You're an idiot."

Adam Taurus looked at the scythe and dropped it on the ground beside her. He shook his head in mock disappointment.

"Really, are you the girl Cinder Fall fell in love with?" He asked.

"S-shut up." Ruby whispered, tears of frustration blurring her vision.

"No. She changed so much for you. She practically _begged_ me to keep her secret safe so she could stay with you." Adam told "Wake up, Rose! She died because she loved you. If she didn't, she would have killed you. But you were going to stain the memory of the only moment in her life she was happy about."

He clucked his tongue in disgust.

"You are surrounded by people who love you, people who forgive you for anything. You don't get to quit just because you fucked up, you have to live with it." He said "Hell, I've got nothing for me in this world, yet I don't point my sword at myself."

The faunus tapped the hilt of the katana on his belt.

"If you kill yourself, I will chop your body to pieces." He threatened.

With that said, he walked away confidently. Ruby trembled and looked at her scythe again. She reached for it, but halted the movement, and sat back against the tree again.

After a few minutes, Yang came back carrying a bottle of water. She stood in front of her sister and looked curiously at the weapon.

"What's Crescent Rose doing on the ground?" She asked, fortunately not figuring out what might have happened while she was away.

Ruby looked up at her sister, examining her face. She noticed the blonde's slight frown and how her eyes were filled with genuine concern. The redhead lowered her head, hiding her tears.

_I'm so sorry, Yang_.

"I got tired of looking at it." She managed to mutter "Please hide it from me."

Ruby lied on the grass and turned to the side, pressing her knees to her chest.

_I'm so sorry_.

-x-

The helicopters arrived the next morning, and as planned, the White Fang entered their designated aircrafts. Blake nodded as she watched the procedure, impressed at how smoothly it was going. She looked at her girlfriend, who was standing beside her, trying to not seem too smug.

"You did a pretty good job." The faunus commended "They seem to be following your every instruction."

"Well, what can I say…" The once-heiress said, winking playfully "Ordering people around is fun."

"Thank Dust you're not the team leader."

"That doesn't mean you can resist my will, Blake Belladonna."

"Yes. You are _certainly_ the dominant one in this relationship." The brunette smirked "Anyway, we should board our helicopter. What's ours again?"

Weiss pointed to one of the aircrafts.

"Number six. We've got it all for ourselves."

"…That's power abuse." Blake noted.

The white-haired girl raised her chin proudly and looked away from the faunus, who shook her head amusedly.

"Where are Ruby and Yang? They're on our helicopter too, right?" Blake narrowed her eyes "Because if they aren't, that is _serious_ power abuse."

"I would never do that." Weiss responded, a bit offended "They are right there."

The brunette look to the direction the once-heiress pointed to. The two sisters were standing at the edge of the camp, and seemed to be discussing something. Yang was doing most of the speaking, gesturing with her hands energetically, all the while with a frown, and Ruby occasionally nodded and said something brief.

After a few minutes, they finished talking and made their way to their teammates.

"Ready to go back to Beacon?" Weiss asked, smiling to Ruby in an attempt to cheer her up.

The redhead sulked and kept her gaze away from her friends. Yang sighed and looked apologetically to the monochrome pair.

"I'm sorry, we won't be going back to Beacon so soon." She said "This is a bit sudden, but… Ruby would like to visit dad." The blonde lowered her head and spoke in a lower tone so her sister wouldn't hear "She needs this."

"Oh. Well, if that's what you two want to do… Go ahead." Blake encouraged "But isn't Patch far from here? How will you get there?"

"Hey, Ruby made it all the way to Summer's grave in a week by walking. The distance from here to Patch is smaller, so I'm sure there will be no problem." Yang shrugged.

"What about the Grimm?" Weiss asked worriedly "There's bound to be a lot of them roaming around."

Yang raised a hand, letting her sleeve fall to reveal Ember Celica, and then pointed to her belt, where Crescent Rose was hanging from.

"Do I need to use words, Ice Queen?"

"Understood. Well, it will be good to be free of your annoying attitude for some time." Weiss said.

"And I'm sure you and Blake will make the best of your time together." The blonde stated, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up, Xiao-"

"Yes, we will." Blake interrupted, which made her girlfriend's face redden "Like I said, you're _certainly_ the dominant one in this relationship."

Weiss grumbled something and looked away in embarrassment. The faunus smirked for a brief moment before she turned her attention to Yang and Ruby.

"Stay at Patch all the time you want. We can handle ourselves at Beacon." She said, and then stared directly at the redhead "And be safe, okay?"

Ruby nodded slightly. Blake gave her a smile and then began to walk away. Weiss too smiled tentatively to her teammates before following her.

Yang raised her hands and turned to Ruby.

"Well, it looks like it is sister time from now on." She joked "Let's get going already, I can't wait to see father."

The blonde paused and tapped Crescent Rose.

"You should probably stay with it now. We might be attacked by Grimm."

The redhead gave the weapon a glance and flinched.

"No." She muttered "Just give it to me if it's really needed."

"…Is there something you're not telling me, Ruby?" Yang frowned worriedly.

Ruby's eyes darted between her sister's face and the scythe before she shrugged half-heartedly.

"I'm just tired of it."

She turned and began to walk away, and Yang stared at her back silently.

_There _is_ something wrong, Ruby_. She thought. _You'll never tire of Crescent Rose_.

-x-

_**Wake up**_**.**

_Pain…_

_**Live. Stand.**_

_Hate…_

_**You are free**_**.**

_Kill…_

_ Kill._

_ KILL._

-x-

**THANK DUST, A SHORT CHAPTER. Actually, it feels a bit weird to have only 3500 words here...**

** Reviews!**

** Lojzek: Wait, wait, wait. So sneakiness worked! YES, VICTORY! Thank you for the compliment!**

** Ocomfv: Well, it's not exactly the relationships itself that help, but the positive emotions that come from it. So an absurdly happy person is also pretty resistant to the Dark... But well, Ruby is not exactly like that anymore, too...**

** Cyborg: I must admit I actually felt pretty sad about how Cinder ended up. I didn't have a lot of the Ruby-Cinder dynamic planned, even as the White Fang arc began, but I really liked writing it. I actually considered if there was anything else I could do about Cinder, but her end was something pretty important that I had planned even before I began writing the story...**

** Ihavenoidea: Cinder was pretty strong, but she didn't resist at all, so it didn't matter, and Ruby also unloaded an entire Crescent Rose magazine... In a real fight, she wouldn't have gone down so easily.**

** Inkly: Sorry, and thank you! I hope you don't hate me for what almost happened _this_ chapter, haha.**

** Extremist-Adam-giving-smack-down-about-suicide-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	27. Getting real tired of this, Grimm

"Hey. Get up, you two."

Weiss slowly opened her eyes, fighting to keep her eyelids from dropping again. The last thing she remembered was a long conversation with Blake about nothing too important. She guessed it had been so relaxing to just sit down and talk like normal people that she fell asleep, even on this noisy helicopter.

"Schnee, I know you grew up sleeping late with no consequences, but that is no excuse for this behavior."

The girl looked up and noticed Adam Taurus standing in front of her, his arms crossed and a mocking smirk on his lips.

"Actually, I am a bit surprised." The redhead continued "This is hardly comparable to your fancy beds…"

"Go to hell." Weiss muttered.

"Ouch. What would daddy say if he heard such words leaving your pretty mouth?"

"He would probably be happy, considering they're directed at scum like you." The once-heiress shot back venomously.

Adam chuckled a little and walked away to the other end of the helicopter. Weiss looked to the side and saw Blake was sleeping too, her head pressing against her shoulder peacefully. The once-heiress looked away in shame.

_Please, don't let it be that she heard me._ _I was just like my father…_

"Hey." Blake whispered, still not opening her eyes.

"Oh Dust – Blake, did you hear everything?" Weiss asked hurriedly.

"I did." The brunette responded "It's okay. Adam_ is_ scum."

"Words can hurt, you know?" Adam exclaimed.

Blake got up, prompting Weiss to do the same. The two looked around until they found a bench connected to the walls of the helicopter and sat on it.

"Did we really need to bring him in _our_ helicopter?" Weiss asked in frustration.

"Yes, we did. I may allow him to walk freely and keep his weapon, but I am not going to let him out of my sight, especially in Beacon." The faunus girl explained. She gave a quick glance to her former partner in crime, and then looked at her girlfriend "Don't let him get to you, he just wants a reaction out of you."

"Maybe you're right, but he still means every word of what he says." The once-heiress noted "He does hate my father, and in extension, me."

"He doesn't hate _you_." Blake refuted, and then shook her head in dismay "I can't really explain this, Weiss. For people like Adam… Hate has another meaning, you have to dig much deeper to find it. What he feels for you… It's just the same undeserved distaste he has for every other human."

Again, Adam chuckled. He walked until he was a few meters beside them, staring at a window.

"Those are a lot of words, Blake. Let me simplify it… I am an asshole." He said "Of course, I am the same asshole that has cooperated with your every command and actively repressed any rebellion from your subordinates. Oh, I also stopped your friend from committing suicide."

"Wait, what?!" Weiss exclaimed "Do you mean _Ruby_?"

"Come on, princess, it was no big deal." Adam waved her off.

The white-haired girl looked to her partner, and though she was dismayed too, she didn't seem too surprised.

"Damnit, I told Yang to keep watching her at all times." Blake muttered.

"I can't believe it- _Ruby_." Weiss shook her head "She would never do that, right? Blake?"

"I know it sounds impossible, but she's suffering a lot." The brunette said "I won't lie and tell you I didn't think about doing it when I was younger. In Ruby's case, even if she is who she is… You saw her after Cinder died." She looked at Adam slyly "Thank you, Adam."

"I didn't do it for your gratitude, and much less for Cinder Fall." The man clarified "I don't know your teammate, but she clearly has a lot to live for. Suicide is stupid, and you shouldn't be so open about admitting you thought about it before." He then looked through the window in front of him and clucked his tongue "Welcome to the shining Beacon."

The helicopter started to descend, and in a few minutes, it touched down. The door opened, and the three stepped down to the academy's hangar, which was located at the back of the establishment.

As the other aircrafts landed, Blake and Weiss made their way to Ozpin, who was standing nearby, his cane in one hand and coffee mug in the other.

"Hello, girls." He said cheerfully "How are you two doing today?"

"We are fine." Blake responded shortly "How have things been going here?"

"Nothing big has happened since Penny. There were a few occasional attacks, but no losses occurred." The headmaster told. He looked at their helicopter and frowned "I recognize that… gentleman, as Adam Taurus… But where are Ruby and Yang?"

"They decided to go to their father's house in Patch Island." The brunette answered "It may take some time before they come back to Beacon."

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee and nodded, not looking at his students.

"Of course, that's understandable. I know what transpired while you waited for your transportation."

"_We _also know everything, professor." Weiss said, barely containing a glare "Ruby told us while she cried her eyes out."

"Yes, well…" The headmaster sighed "We will discuss this later. Right now, we should arrange everything about the White Fang's stay." He smiled faintly "I can feel a speech in the near future."

-x-

Yang walked by the side of a road at a happy pace, humming a song cheerfully all the while. A little behind her was Ruby, who had enclosed herself so much with her cloak that she looked like a child.

"_I've been watching you lately…_" The blonde began, but then made a disgusted face "I can't sing that… Like I would ever devote myself so much to a dude." She looked to her sister and smiled "Hey, sis, wanna give a suggestion?"

Ruby looked at her and shrugged.

"I'll sing one of those songs you like." Yang offered, and then thought for a few minutes before starting again "_Now it's time to say goodbye_ – Actually, never mind that. I'll just stay silent."

_Damn, that was almost Jaune levels of denseness. _She thought. _I don't think any song Ruby likes would be very sensible right now… Come to think of it, why does she like those songs_?

As far as she remembered, Ruby had always liked lyrics that had darker tones behind them. Yang had never given it much thought, but now she realized how odd that was. Her sister was definitely the most positive person she knew, so why would she have that taste in music?

_I guess there are some things Ruby never showed to anyone._ The blonde pondered sadly. _You're like a mystery to me now, sis._

Yang shook her head disapprovingly. The last thing Ruby needed right now was for her to be depressed too, so she just slowed her pace until she was beside the redhead and passed an arm around her shoulders.

"I remember a good one, sis." She said "_Don't you worry about the dark, I will light up the night-_"

"Please don't." Ruby interrupted, retreating from her sister's embrace.

"Is my singing _that_ bad?" Yang frowned "Not everyone can be Weiss-"

"No, you're all right." The redhead assured "I just don't wanna hear anything right now… I would prefer to stay alone."

The blonde's shoulders dropped, but she did her best to not show how hurt she felt at those words. Ruby stared at her for a few moments before tearing her gaze away guiltily.

Once again, their paces became uneven, and for the rest of the day, they shared no other words.

-x-

"And then the sloth made a huge _raaaaaaaaaaaaaar_, but I smashed it in the head before it could take any other pancake!"

Nora looked at her teammates excitedly, the only thing stopping her from jumping on top of the cafeteria table was Ren's grip on her arm. Jaune and Pyrrha didn't bat an eye as her story finished. The two shared a brief look before shrugging.

"You guys are no fun." Nora whined "It's all about the doom and gloom now, and nobody cares about the fate of the pancakes."

"Well, the pancakes don't have families." Jaune noted.

"What- How _dare_ you?!" The energetic girl seethed, pointing a fist at him "Have you no heart?"

"I do, but I prefer holding the pancakes in my stomach."

Nora shook her head in mock horror. Before she could begin any other crazy happenings, the doors of the cafeteria were open and people started to enter it.

"What's happening?" Pyrrha asked worriedly "There must be at least a hundred people, and they're not students."

"Oh, they're probably the White Fang." Jaune commented.

His teammates looked at him as if he was crazy, and in response, he palmed his own face.

"I forgot to tell you guys about RWBY's mission, right?" He muttered embarrassedly.

"You screwed up, Jaune boy." Nora reprehended.

The new appearance began to sit on the cafeteria tables. Sadly, half of the seats had stayed unoccupied for weeks now, as a result of all the students that had died or left the school when the Dark attacked it. Right now, however, that allowed for pretty much everyone to have a place to sit.

The last ones to enter the cafeteria were headmaster Ozpin, Blake, and Weiss. The white-haired girl whispered something in the faunus' ear and broke off from her side, walking to JNPR's table.

"Weiss! Welcome back!" Nora shrieked, and once again had to be held down by her boyfriend.

"Hello." The once-heiress greeted, sitting beside Jaune "It's… nice, to see all of you."

"Your mellow words could make even a heart of stone beat, Ice Queen." The blonde boy said jokingly.

"What, did you expect a hug?" Weiss asked annoyed "Because you're definitely not getting one."

Jaune pouted and looked at his plate. Pyrrha shook her head amusedly and patted him on the back.

"So, where are Ruby and Yang?" The redhead asked.

"They went to visit their father." Weiss answered, and quickly decided to not reveal too much about the situation "They really needed to do it, but they'll be back soon." She observed as her girlfriend and the headmaster made their way to the center of the cafeteria "You should listen to this, it is extremely important."

Ozpin clapped his hands a few times, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. Blake stood beside him, her face turned to the ground, making it clear how pressured she felt at that moment. Out there, where she was nowhere but another faunus girl, it was easier to put on a brave face and speak her mind, but in Beacon… This was the only place she could call home, and she definitely didn't want it to become anything else.

"I can see the majority of you seem very confused or disturbed by our new arrivals." Ozpin began "These are, indeed, the former members of the White Fang."

Uproar rose from the students, a result of their fear and anger at sharing their tables with such notorious criminals. The ex-terrorists, in turn, reacted in varying forms: some were angry at how they were treated, while others just listened and put on unfeeling faces.

"Calm down, everyone. You are students of Beacon, and many of you are already adults." Ozpin reprehended "You should hold your judgment until you know everything there is to know. Now, as I was saying, those are the former members of the White Fang. The organization has changed in both its leader and its ways, as Blake Belladonna will be happy to tell you."

The faunus looked at her professor quickly, and for a few moments, her expression was of desperation. He nodded subtly, and then she shook her head once and looked at the people gathered in the cafeteria.

"Some of you know me as Blake, others call me Belladonna, or simply _that brunette from team RWBY_." She said "But there is one thing everyone knows about me, and it doesn't matter if you are my friend, or just another student I shared a classroom with." Blake breathed in; calming her nerves "I am the girl who arrived in Beacon with a black bow on her head, but, one day, turned up without it, and in its place, were two cat ears. People thought it was strange, or funny, but nobody really questioned why I hid myself in the first place."

She smiled sadly.

"I was scared of how people would see me. No matter what you hear in the news, or whatever politics are happening, the truth is, the faunus still are oppressed in many ways. It scares us that one day we might be injured but our hospitals deny us medical care, or that when we go out in the streets we may be treated as criminals." Blake explained "This is why the White Fang exists, to fight for our rights. Unfortunately, their goal became twisted along the way, and their actions just worsened the situation. But now, I hope we can do better."

"The White Fang will fight beside you. We will survive the Dark, _together_." She continued "But for that to happen, I need for both the students and them to understand one another. So, I propose something: the next time you see another person in need, no matter what group they belong to, offer a helping hand. You'll find out you're not so different after all."

She clasped her hands together and lowered her head, indicating she had finished. Suddenly, the White Fang exploded in chants of _Belladonna_, with even some of the Beacon students joining in, particularly the few faunus ones.

Amongst that, Cardin Winchester rose from his seat and put his hands around his mouth.

"_You suck!_" He yelled pathetically.

"Hey, Winchester!" Pyrrha called his attention "How's your left cheek feeling?"

He blinked confusedly, and then looked at Jaune, who showed him a fist and smiled cheerfully. Cardin sat back with his team without uttering another word.

Blake walked to JNPR's tables, being showered in compliments along the way. When she finally made it to her friends and sat down, she looked like she had traveled through hell and back.

"That was impressive." Ren noted "I never thought you could give such a speech."

"It's difficult, but surprisingly satisfying." Blake said "As long as you speak what you truly think, you can't go wrong."

"Unless Cardin is the judge." Jaune joked.

The group laughed at that. Pyrrha then questioned the monochrome pair about their mission, and after a deep breath, the two began to tell the whole story.

-x-

Yang frowned as the scent of burning became stronger. Two days had passed since the sisters had left begun their journey to Patch, and by her calculations, it would take roughly a couple more to reach their home.

She knew from experience that along the way there were some towns they could stop to rest, but right now, that information made her worry. The blonde had spotted smoke rising to the sky in the distance earlier in the morning, and soon she could also smell the burning. She really hoped her fears weren't real.

But as she soon discovered, they were. Yang stopped in her tracks and pointed a palm to Ruby, making her also stop. The two looked at the horizon, and they could both see the outline of a small town alongside the road, with fire and smoke rising from its buildings.

"Damnit!" The blonde exclaimed "Something's happened, Ruby! We need to help!"

She didn't wait for an answer, however, and just broke into a run. Yang reached the town, avoiding the biggest flames, and looked around desperately. Her vision lingered on scorched bodies, but right now, she didn't have the time to be sad for these people. Her top priority was to rescue any survivors.

"Wait!" Ruby yelled, reaching her side. She looked at her sister, trembling a bit, which made her worry: the redhead never feared danger, in fact, she enjoyed it "There's something wrong, Yang."

"Really, Ruby?" Yang asked incredulously, dropping all sensibility for the moment "Of course there's something wrong, the place is on fire! Come on, we need to help any stranded!"

She started to bolt for a house, but halted when the whole establishment came down, causing the fires around it to burn even more. Ruby grabbed her arm desperately.

"Think about it!" The redhead urged "There's no way the townsmen would have let this fire spread so much, and even if it was too fierce to contain, they would have been able to escape. Someone or something began this fire and trapped the people here!"

Yang cursed under her own breath, realizing her sister was right.

_Whatever happened, the villain may still be here_. She thought.

Like an answer to that, a barrage of fire suddenly raced towards the sisters, and it was only because of her trained reflexes that Yang was able to get them to safety.

A howl rang through the town, and when the blonde looked at its origins, she saw a silhouette of a primal Grimm standing between two burning houses. The fire distorted its details, but she knew exactly what it was.

"You're joking." She muttered "Ruby, it's the one we thought we killed _two times _already. You don't think its Semblance is immortality, right?"

"I don't know." The redhead whispered, backing away slowly "We need to run."

"_Run_? We can't let it roam free and kill more people!" Yang protested. She stepped forward and yelled angrily "Hey, you ugly bastard! Your favorite prey is here!"

The Grimm locked eyes with the blonde, and in a question of seconds, it leaped and reached her, throwing a claw towards her face savagely. Yang grunted and blocked with her fists, and immediately punched at the monster, knocking it away.

The blonde hesitated, and in a split decision, unclasped Crescent Rose from her belt and threw it towards Ruby, before taking off after the Grimm. The redhead looked at the folded scythe on the ground, her hands trembling as she reached for it slowly.

She took and unfolded it. The weapon's blade was so clean, she could see her own reflection in it, and that only added to the terror she felt.

_I can't_. Ruby thought. _I don't want to_.

She diverted her eyes and looked at the ongoing fight. Yang and the Grimm had altogether stopped dodging each other's attacks: the blonde was doing her best to block, while the monster just took the hits and delivered them right back. It was like a savage brawl, no finesse involved, the only thing mattering was strength and endurance.

"Get a taste of my Semblance, bitch!" The human yelled, and fire exploded around her. She drove a fist towards the monster, all the damage she had taken amplifying its power.

The attack met with the Grimm's chest, and for a moment, it howled in pain and stopped attacking. It almost curled into a ball, as if it was in profound pain, but that quickly faded. The creature rose again and punched Yang back. She crossed her arms to block, and then screamed.

It was like a shockwave had surged in her arms and passed through her whole body in a split second. She could swear she heard the bones in her arms break, and then she fell on her back, yelling in pain.

Ruby saw that, and her eyes sparked with her old conviction. In the blink of an eye, she was standing above her sister, pointing her scythe at the Grimm.

"Back off." She warned in a low tone.

The monster walked towards the two, its steps faltering a bit, but somehow both knew it wasn't any closer to dying than before. Ruby grasped her weapon' trigger, her hand trembling.

"Back off." She repeated "_Back off!_"

Yang looked up and noticed her sister was barely managing to hold her weapon up. There were tears in her eyes, and by the way her stare was frozen on the hulking beast, it was clear Ruby was somewhere far away right now.

"Shoot it." Yang whispered, wheezing painfully "It's not _Cinder_."

But Ruby just continued in the same position, even as the Grimm finally stopped in front of her. It raised an arm and then struck her in the side, sending her flying into a nearby house's wall. The redhead dropped to the ground and looked up painfully, Crescent Rose within arm's reach, but she couldn't bring herself to pick it up.

The Grimm roared savagely and looked down at Yang, preparing to finally end her once and for all.

_I guess that's how it ends_. The blonde thought. _Goodbye, Ruby_.

Suddenly, a black blur passed by the monster, and it was dragged away, yelling angrily. The new arrival stopped, exploding in a shower of black petals, his scythe buried in the Grimm's chest. When Qrow halted, the momentum from the attack sent the creature flying into a house, breaking through its outer walls and falling inside, the ceiling dropping down on it.

Two men and a woman passed by, gathering around Qrow, wielding weapons that indicated they were Hunters. After a quick exchange of words, the two unknown men set off towards the houses to search for survivors, while the woman ran towards the one the Grimm had been thrown into.

Qrow ran to Yang and helped her up, a small smile on his face.

"I must say I wasn't expecting you here." He said "You have three more years until graduation, so you should have left the fighting to us professionals. Maybe these bones will serve as a lesson."

"Cut if off. It was going to kill more people." Yang grunted "What are _you_ doing here?"

"My _job_. Grimm attacks are getting out of control everywhere. I and these guys are patrolling the kingdom to help reduce the damage." The man explained "Why are _you_ here?"

"We were going home…" The blonde started, and then looked around desperately until she saw her sister.

Ruby got up, picked up Crescent Rose and walked slowly to her family. She looked at Qrow, and his smile faded when he noticed how unhappy she was. Then she looked at Yang with a mixture of guilt and anger.

The redhead hung her head low and threw her folded weapon down on their feet.

"I told you I don't want it." She muttered "I don't want to ever look at it again."

Qrow opened his mouth to question what was going on, but he was interrupted by a roar and a startled scream.

The Grimm rose from the rubble of the house and struck the woman who was searching for it. She fell to the ground, but rolled instinctively and pointed her hand-cannon at the creature. The blast hit the monster's back, but it paid her no mind.

It set its eyes on Yang again and rushed towards her in a blind fury. Qrow cursed and shot at it with his scythe, but it had no effect on the beast. One of the Hunters came back and tackled the primal, striking it with a punch that sent it flying to the side and away from the family.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong here?" Qrow exclaimed.

"It marked me as prey, I think." Yang explained.

"That's crap! Where did you get that idea?"

_Your sister_. The blonde thought, and wisely decided not to actually voice that.

"Look, I know Grimm don't do that, but you can't ignore the truth." Yang said "It has targeted me three times already. The last two attempts, he ignored all other threats, and just went for me."

"Well, it is a primal. It's not like we understand everything about them." Qrow conceded "That means we have to get you two out of here." He looked to his companions and yelled "Take care of that! I need to get them out of here!"

"Yeah, run, you coward!" One of the men exclaimed "But you won't get a share of the glory!"

The three Hunters surrounded the Grimm, who tried to approach Yang again, but was blocked. Realizing they wouldn't let it anywhere near its prey, the monster shifted its attention to the professionals.

Qrow picked up Crescent Rose and strapped it to his belt.

"Can you run?" He asked Yang.

"I'm not sure." She responded "My arms hurt like hell. I might faint anytime."

"Well, you're ten years too old for this, but… Piggyback time!"

The blonde was about to protest about how ridiculous that decision was, but when she looked at the Grimm again, she realized it was better to be humiliated than stay near that beast. She jumped to Qrow's back and surrounded his belly with her legs, not being able to hold on to his shoulders because of the pain in her arms. The uncle nodded to Ruby and ran off, turning into a blur that left black petals behind him.

The redhead waited a few moments, her face unreadable. She looked back at the monster, which was being knocked around by the Hunters, but seemed to be hardly hurting at all.

_Your Semblance isn't immortality._ She thought, before turning back and running after her uncle and sister.

-x-

** Seriously, did anybody actually expect that Grimm to be dead? Because I didn't even try to be too subtle about it. Also, I'm just gonna point out here: both Qrow and Summer have their Speed Semblance, which they inherited from one of their parents, probably. (AND YES, THEY ARE SIBLINGS. WHAT IS CANON?)**

** Reviews!**

** Tennison: Nope, Weiss is not the dominant one. Blake was messing with her. I could have made that clearer, so it's all my fault for that confusion...**

** Cyborg: Your tears shall fuel my writing skills... So if this chapter was crap, it's _probably_ your fault for not contributing.**

** Ihavenoidea: Yay, I like that you like Adam! I was actually a bit concerned that people would find his behavior contrary to what he was first portrayed as (you know, bloodthirsty bastard?). It seems I managed to write him well, then? Also, so much for Ruby not being angry. Or sad. Poor Rose...**

** KillerKlown: There's a lot of stuff to Summer that I have not written yet, or that I'm at least just building up to... So maybe your wishes will be granted and she'll be less bitchy. And thank very, VERY much for the constructive criticism (or whatever you want to call it)! I actually agree with some of your negative points, particularly the first one about the beginning of the story being better. I think I lost myself a bit in the White Fang arc, mostly because it was a LOT of stuff to cover, and I really wanted to maintain the RWBY and Beacon story lines parallel. I also admit that some characterizations are kinda iffly-done (yes, I made up that term.). I will try to improve on those things, for sure! Again, thank you for this wonderful review.**

** Is-that-Grimm-ever-gonna-die?-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	28. Narcissistic Maniac

"There it is, girls."

Qrow pointed to the town he could now spot at distance. It probably once had an official name, but people used Patch Port so much that it must have faded as time passed. Nobody really complained, however, because the title was really fitting: the settlement didn't have much importance aside from providing access to the Island and offering rest to travelers.

"You know how to get home from here." The man said "You have some cash on you, right?"

"Sure." Yang answered, stopping beside him "Aren't you coming with us?"

The Hunter shook his head, but smiled as he always did.

"I'm doubling back to reunite with my group. There's still a lot of trouble to be taken care of in these parts." He answered "Also, they would probably track me down and yell at me for leaving them behind. A man can't even take care of his little girls in this day and age anymore…"

"I'm not your little girl." The blonde stated, not amused at all.

"Yes, well… We may not share blood, but I have a soft spot for you in my heart." Qrow said. Then he looked at Ruby's quiet figure "You're probably just jealous because Ruby _is_ my little girl."

"Whatever. We're going."

Yang rolled her eyes and started to walk away, but halted when Qrow grabbed her arm. The brawler flinched, the pain from the encounter with the primal Grimm flaring up again.

"That _hurts_!" She warned angrily.

"Sorry." Qrow apologized "But you forgot something."

The man took Crescent Rose from his belt and offered it to Yang.

"Oh, of course, we almost forgot to take it back." The blonde grinned "But… It's really mine…"

"Keep it." Qrow said, and the seriousness in his voice and his stare were enough to make the girl obey him immediately "And don't hand it to your sister until she gets better."

"Okay…" Yang whispered, confused by his sudden change in attitude.

Qrow then walked to Ruby and put his hands on her shoulders, so that they were both staring at each other. His niece's unexpressive face broke his heart, but he smiled anyway.

"Hey, little Rose…" He spoke softly, using the nickname he had given her as a child. It had been years since she had last been called that, because it had started to feel inadequate for her age… But right now, he felt there was no better way to address her "It'll get better, okay? There's a lot of good in this world, but if you only focus on the bad…"

Qrow shrugged.

"That is not a life for you, trust me." He stated "So just spent some time with old Taiyang, lift your head up, and smile… Don't lose yourself."

"I'll try…" Ruby promised, but there wasn't much conviction in that phrase "Thank you for helping, uncle Qrow."

"Hey, just doing my job." The man smiled again "And I don't mean Hunting, but taking care of my family."

The redhead's mouth formed a little smile, and that was enough to satisfy Qrow. He nodded to her and Yang, and then walked away, resting his scythe on top of his shoulders.

-x-

Blake sat on a professor's desk in a big classroom, scribbling down on notebooks while trying to pay attention to the people around her.

Ozpin had given her this room as a center of operations for the White Fang, and she was glad to use it as such, coordinating efforts with the members to spread the word about their new mission, and also to detect any interior problems in the organization she might have not noticed yet.

Unfortunately, not two days passed before Beacon students started to show up to complain about the new arrivals. Blake had been annoyed at first, but she knew she couldn't show that to anyone: to achieve equality, she needed to pay attention to the problems of both her subordinates and her classmates.

Most of what she heard didn't ring any alarm bells: simple quarrels about where the ex-terrorists were sleeping, the food they shared in the cafeteria, or outright racism… Those were easy to take care of with reason.

What she was about to hear right now, however, would be different.

"Hey, Belladonna!"

Blake looked up from her papers and had to resist the urge to roll her eyes when she noticed Cardin Winchester staring at her impatiently.

"What is it, Cardin?" Blake sighed. She didn't like the boy at all, and assumed he was going to say something moronic.

"One of your furry pals threatened me!" He complained.

"Well, if you used this kind of language with them, I can't really reprehend them for doing that." The faunus noted.

"I wasn't even speaking to him! That lunatic just passed by me in the hallway and demanded for me to step out of the way." Cardin told, visibly frustrated "I took a few seconds, so he drew his sword and said if I didn't obey him, he would chop my head off!"

_Oh, for crying out loud_. Blake thought. _Can't he stay one week without giving me trouble?_

"Was he a redhead, by any chance?" She asked.

"Yeah, and he was tall and just had this mean look to him, you know? Dude is a psycho or something."

"Okay, I know who he is. I'll speak to him, don't worry." Blake assured "But next time, you should just step of the way quicker."

Cardin waved her off and exited the room. The brunette scribbled down a few more notes before getting up from her chair and shaking her head disapprovingly.

_Just one week. That's all I want._

-x-

Jaune and Pyrrha sat on a rock at the edge of the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. The redhead had her eyes fixed on her weapon's iron sights, not wanting to let anything pass her by because she was relaxing on duty. The boy was also staring at the woods, but his gaze often wandered away to the sky or his partner.

"This is so boring." He stated after a while, puffing indignantly "Now I know why even Ren let his guard down and got attacked."

"I don't care if it's boring. Nothing's getting past us today." Pyrrha responded evenly, not bothering to look at him "Or past _me_, I should say. You should probably pay less attention to my neck, and more to the Grimm."

"Uh, I wasn't staring at your neck…" Jaune said, rubbing his hair awkwardly "Why would you say that? It's not like you have perfect skin, right?"

For the first time, the girl took her eyes off the aim to lift an eyebrow to him.

"Very subtle." She deadpanned "Seriously, pay attention to the job. If you wanted to compliment my looks, the previous eight months were way more adequate."

"Yeah… Sorry for being a jerk."

"Saying that fourteen times hasn't worked. The fifteenth attempt won't be any more successful."

The boy was about to answer that, but another voice interrupted the chat.

"Hello." Weiss greeted, standing behind the two "Guard duty?"

"Yes, also known as boring duty." Jaune joked "Or sometimes, awkward conversations duty."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who started it." Pyrrha reminded, rolling her eyes.

The blond boy looked at Weiss, hoping that she would say something helpful, but the Dust user just stared back impassively. Jaune sighed and stood up.

"I'll get us some food." He said, wanting to get away from the tense air that had risen between him and his partner.

When he was gone, Weiss sat beside Pyrrha, who just continued to look through her weapon's sights. After a while, the once-heiress decided to start a conversation.

"So… Why are you giving Jaune a cold shoulder all of a sudden?" She asked.

"I'm not giving him a cold shoulder." The redhead gave her friend a brief glance "I just think this job is more important than pointless chatter."

"Pointless chatter?" Weiss repeated "You've been in love with that dimwit for months, and when he finally has the courage to try to reciprocate, you call it that?"

"He had _eight_ months." Pyrrha stated "It took me having a fit and a nervous breakdown for him to finally try to stablish any form of deeper relationship! Sorry if I'm not thrilled about that."

"Pyrrha… I'm certainly not your best friend, and honestly, not a very good judge of character…" The white-haired girl shook her head slowly "But I can see pretty clearly that there is something more going on here. Everyone knows you love Jaune to death, and you've had an inhuman amount of patience regarding him… I don't believe even for a second that you've given up on him."

Weiss almost jumped when the redhead pulled the trigger, killing a Beowolf that had wandered out of the woods with a single shot. Pyrrha's eyes were fixed on the forest, but her hands and shoulder were trembling.

"I still like Jaune. Is that what you want to hear?" She muttered bitterly.

"I'm sorry… I didn't want to pressure you." The once-heiress apologized "But, can I ask why you're-?"

"I just don't want a relationship right now, okay? I don't want to wake up one day and find out Jaune died in the middle of this mess, but if that happens… At least I'll be saving myself from _some_ pain." The champion explained hurriedly "Everyone expects me to be invincible or something, but I can't protect people any better than anyone else. Unless the Dark corrupts more robots, I'm just another girl fighting for her life."

Weiss sighed and took a few minutes to respond. She understood Pyrrha's reasoning, because she had thought that way in the past. But the once-heiress had learned to move past them, and the redhead needed to do the same.

"I know how it is to live with people's expectancies. Growing up, I was supposed to be the perfect heiress, destined to lead the Schnee Industries into an even brighter future." Weiss told "On the outside, I must have looked normal, but inside… I hated what my life was, and what it would always be. So, one day, I told my father I wanted to be a Huntress… It was not a peaceful resolution between the two of us, but I got my way in the end." The girl smiled bitterly "The sad truth is that, even then, my father's influence didn't leave me. You know how I was… Always wanting my way, arguing with anybody that didn't have the same views as me, and just pushing other people away."

Pyrrha listened carefully, although she wasn't really sure what point her friend wanted to make with this telling.

"Thankfully, Blake was there. She showed me I could be someone else, a better person. I broke free, and I couldn't have done it if she hadn't been by my side." Weiss continued. She looked at Pyrrha seriously "Sometimes, all you need is another person standing beside you. I don't care if you stay friends, or you date, or you marry the next weekend… Just don't push Jaune away."

"…You're right." The redhead sighed "He told me we would stay together, no matter what happened… Now I need to fulfill my part in that." Pyrrha smiled and looked at Weiss curiously "I knew you changed, but not to the point where you would say a relationship with Jaune could be helpful."

"Hey! He's still a dunce." Weiss reminded, but she smiled nonetheless "But the thing about dunces is that they are generally good friends. I give Blake a lot of credit, but Ruby and Yang had a huge influence in my life these past months too."

Pyrrha nodded, a worried frown on her forehead.

"I hope Ruby gets better." She spoke softly "I barely knew Penny, but killing her broke my heart anyway… I can't even imagine what Ruby must be feeling like right now."

Weiss' head hung low. _You truly can't._ She thought. _Who would ever imagine Ruby, of all people, would try to kill herself?_ The once-heiress and her girlfriend that omitted that fact when they told JNPR what they had gone through on their mission to recruit the White Fang, not only because it seemed something too personal to speak about without their friend's knowing, but also because they couldn't really come to terms with the knowledge yet.

"I'm glad Jaune can't see her right now, though. He sees something in her… It's like she's an inspiration to him. Sometimes, he talks about Ruby as if she was the most incredible person in Remnant." Pyrrha confessed "He was there to help me when I broke down… But I'm not sure what he would do if Ruby was here in an even worse condition."

"Yes, it's very… sad, to see her right now. Ruby is just so cheerful and innocent all the time, and I don't appreciate that as much as I should… I just wish…"

Weiss' word got caught in her throat, and she had to look away to hide her tears. She got up from the rock and turned her back to Pyrrha.

"I… I need to talk to Blake right now. Important White Fang matters." She lied.

"Okay. Do whatever you need to do." The redhead said, catching on to how Weiss was really feeling "Thank you for the conversation."

"It was nothing."

The white-haired girl walked away in a hurry. Jaune passed by her and took notice of her dismayed state, but wasn't able to talk to her before she ran off. The blond boy frowned worriedly and made his way to Pyrrha, sitting beside her with a tray of food on his lap.

"I got us some stuff." He told, offering the tray to her, but Pyrrha just shook her head in refusal "I saw Weiss… She looked really bad. Did something happen?"

"Oh, we didn't fight, if that's what you're thinking. We just…" The redhead sighed, knowing she could only tell the truth now "We were talking about Ruby, and I guess she's really sensitive about that topic."

"Yeah. I hope she gets better." Jaune said "I don't mean Ruby, but Weiss. No, wait… I want Ruby to get better too, but I was referring to Weiss in that sentence. I want _both_ to get better."

Pyrrha smiled and leaned toward him, giving him a quick kiss that left him breathless.

"Just stay with me, okay, Jaune?" She asked softly.

"…Sure." The boy answered slowly.

_Girls._ He thought. _I'll never understand them_.

-x-

"Adam."

The redhead faunus opened his eyes. He was leaning against a tree in Beacon's campus, his hands behind his head and one foot atop the other. He was the epitome of relaxation, yet it was very noticeable that everyone there was avoiding him, be them student or White Fang.

Blake stood in front of him, and if she could, she would have crossed her arms. Instead, she just settled with giving him a mean glare, that, considering who it came from, was very intimidating in and of itself.

"Did you threaten to chop off Cardin Winchester's head?" She asked slowly.

"Maybe." Adam pouted mockingly "I'm sorry, mommy, I won't do it again."

Blake shook her head in dismay. Continuing this conversation would just make him happier, but she needed to do it.

"I'm serious, Adam." She said "Everything is going well for us. The students have their complaints, the White Fang have theirs, but there has been no conflict between the two yet. The last thing I need is for you to become a maniac again and kill someone who didn't step out of the way quickly enough."

"Wait, become a maniac _again_?" Adam repeated "So, I'm not one anymore? Because that's pretty disappointing. It took years for me to build that reputation."

The brunette leaned down and looked him in the eyes, her hand gripping Shade's hilt.

"You'll always be a maniac to me." She assured "All it will take is one wrong move, and you'll regret not leaving us when you had the chance."

"Here I was thinking your words meant something, but you're just a hypocrite." Adam sighed "So, everyone deserves a second chance, unless you're me? Shelter everyone who agrees, punish those who don't! What a great way to achieve equality, Blake, I wish I had thought of something like that before… Oh, wait…"

His speech was interrupted by a hard slap to the face. Blake took a step back, her hand raised in the air and her chest rising and falling with her quickened breath. Adam rubbed his cheek absently-minded before looking at his ex-partner again.

"My point is proven." He stated.

Blake looked around them. The students in the campus were staring at them, some of them whispering between themselves. She knew word of this would spread like wildfire in the school.

The brunette stared at Adam again, using all her will to not let any tears show in her eyes.

"You killed my parents. You almost turned me into a monster. What is it now, Adam?" She asked, clenching her fist furiously "What's your goal here? Are you going to torment me until I break down, or are you having some amusement before you try to take the White Fang back?"

"Haven't I made myself clear?" He shook his head "I just want to cooperate."

"…Don't ever speak to me again."

Blake turned her back to him and walked away, her head hanging low in anger and shame. Adam sighed and put his hands behind his head, leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.

_No rest for the wicked_.

-x-

Taiyang sat on a chair around the kitchen table, opening a newspaper while holding a mug of coffee in one hand. He closed his eyes for a few moments, just appreciating the silence in his house. The man loved his two daughters, but sometimes, their agitation was too much for even him to stand. This weekend off of Signal while they were in school would be the perfect opportunity to relax…

He jumped from his chair when the front door opened and Yang stepped in with a bright smile. Taiyang almost let his mug fall to the floor, barely containing a scream of surprise.

"Hey, dad!" The blonde yelled joyfully, taking three giant steps to hug him "I missed you!"

"Yeah, I missed you too. It's been almost… two… months." Taiyang sighed mentally, but shook his head and smiled anyway "It's nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be at Beacon?"

"No… Well, technically, this is not an official visit. Wait, actually, it kind of is…" Yang trailed off "There's a lot of stuff you don't know, dad, so we'll have to catch up real fast."

"I suppose that's true." He examined her, noticing how her arms were wrapped in bandages, but what really caught his attention was something else "Why do you have Crescent Rose with you? Where's your sister?"

Yang gestured to the door with her thumb. The man looked at that direction, and it took him a few seconds to finally notice Ruby was standing quietly beside it, almost fading into the walls. Suddenly, there was a void in his stomach: his youngest looked just like her mother now, especially at her later years, when she would just stand by silently, her thoughts often of Raven or some other person in need. The only difference now was that Ruby did not look worried about anyone; her face was a mixture of sadness and guilt.

"Hi, sweetie." Taiyang greeted, walking to her and giving her a hug "Is there something wrong?"

Ruby took a while to hug him back, but when she did, it felt like she would never let go. The redhead looked up from his shoulder, meeting eyes with Yang, and suddenly she burst into tears. The oldest sister frowned, not knowing what to do now but watch.

"Yes, dad." Ruby whispered "Everything's wrong."

-x-

Weiss and Blake entered the headmaster's office together in silence. Ozpin looked up from his desk and raised an eyebrow, noticing their solemn moods instantly.

"Hello, girls." He greeted evenly "Are you two feeling well?"

"Of course." Weiss responded quickly "Why wouldn't we be?"

"You don't have the happiest of faces right now." The man explained.

"Well, maybe worrying about our suicidal friend and coordinating an ex-terrorist organization just doesn't make us jump with joy!" The once-heiress exclaimed bitterly.

Blake laid a hand on her girlfriend's right shoulder and guided her to a chair in front of the professor's desk. The two sat, the Dust user keeping her gaze away from the man.

"What did you call us here for?" The faunus asked "Is there something wrong with the White Fang or the students?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that, but that being your first guess makes me happy. I'm afraid this subject is more… personal." Ozpin grinned sadly "I said we would discuss the question of Cinder Fall and Ruby, and I'm not breaking my word. Say whatever you want… But do try to keep the conversation civilized."

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but realized she couldn't really say anything that wouldn't offend the professor, so she just closed it again. After a few moments, Blake decided to talk.

"Why did you do it?" She asked "We know you made Cinder what she was… But it was difficult to interpret everything Ruby said after what happened. And, well, after she finally calmed down a bit, it was rare to hear a single word from her."

"Hum… I think I'll need to tell the full story for you understand." Ozpin said "As you well know, I have lived for thousands of years. I was born in a terrible age, when Remnant was a place of only darkness and chaos. There wasn't a single speck of civilization in this world, and life was a mere question of who survived the longest." The headmaster's expression was somber, and the way he stared at his students made them think he wasn't really looking at them, but rather remembering the time he spoke about "Fortunately, our suffering ended when we united and struck against the Dark itself. Centuries passed, the kingdoms were founded, the Grimm became less dangerous, humans and faunus grew apart… And I buried these dark memories deep below."

"But, as I've said before, I never forgot. There was always that little piece of my mind that held on to that fear, that despair…" Ozpin shook his head quickly, knowing it would be best to stay away from those thoughts "It was only thirty years ago that I spoke of that time again, to none other than Summer Rose."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, finally substituting her quiet rage with curiosity.

"Summer?" She repeated "Why her?"

"It might be hard to believe it, but mother and daughter are very much alike. That is, until Summer became a ghost." The headmaster told "Like Ruby, Summer was a cheerful young woman who loved everyone around her, but never really stood out a lot. In a way, she lived for her friends and family. It was no wonder she was the leader of her team." Ozpin smiled "When she was in Beacon, I was still a history professor. With time, I grew to like her, and then one day, I told her who I really was."

"What? You just told a student you were a thousand years old because you were fond of her?" Weiss questioned, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

"I was lonely! And, besides, Summer was weeks away from graduation, so it was not like I was scaring a little girl." The headmaster defended himself "The important part is that she was the only one who knew my secret, and as it, unfortunately, turned out, she was killed by a primal Grimm. When she became who she is today, she came to me and told me what happened."

Blake nodded, starting to piece the story together.

"You learned that the Dark was awakened." She realized "Judging by how you spoke before, you mustn't have been very happy about that."

"That is an understatement." Ozpin admitted "In my panic, I made some bad decisions. I wanted some way to fight the Dark's forces, and Dust infusion was a brilliant idea… But I didn't realize the consequences those experiments could have. Dozens of children died, and when I finally stopped the procedures, the only one resting was Cinder Fall. She was the sole kid to survive the infusion, and I didn't know what to do with her."

"Didn't you want a weapon?" Blake questioned "You could have trained her."

"I could have." The professor agreed, clearly ashamed "But I was scared and regretful of what I had done, so I didn't want to face that little girl ever again. I provided her an isolated house on the fields of Vale and a caretaker I knew personally… Three years passed, and both burned down because of Cinder's rage."

Ozpin sat back on his chair, taking the full brunt of Weiss' glare and Blake's disapproving look.

"I can't blame Cinder for wanting to kill me. In fact, if she had confronted me directly…" The headmaster trailed off, not wanting to speak about that possibility "But she was willing to kill Ruby and all of you to punish me. No matter how wronged she was, that was just too much. It's a shame she died, and that Ruby was the one to do it, but it was necessary."

"She wasn't going to kill us." Weiss muttered "At least not after she became close to Ruby. You didn't see them like we did, professor… There was no way Cinder could have hurt her."

"Perhaps you're right." Ozpin sighed "I take full responsibility for what happened. When Ruby comes back, I'll talk to her."

"Normally, when someone causes someone else to die, they go to prison." The once-heiress noted.

"Normally, the world is not facing its worst crisis in millennia."

Before the girl could retort back, Ozpin's holographic monitor popped up and emitted a faint music.

"It's three in the afternoon! Nobody respects nap time anymore." The headmaster complained, and when Blake looked at him dubiously, he shrugged "Nap time was invented a _long_ time ago. You just don't disrespect it like it's nothing." He looked at the screen and smiled faintly "But this should be interesting."

He touched the monitor, answering the call. Wade Schnee's face appeared on the screen, and he looked haggard, although he still tried to maintain a professional posture.

"Hello, president Wade." Ozpin greeted.

"Hello, headmaster Ozpin." The businessman responded.

Weiss raised her head and froze. From the spot she was, she couldn't see her father, and neither could he see her, but his voice was unmistakable. Blake took one of her hands and squeezed it comfortingly.

"What is this all about?" Ozpin asked "Our last talk did not well for either of us, if I remember correctly."

"I have reconsidered my position." Wade said "I believe my company's best move would be to join you in your efforts against the Dark. I am willing to go to Beacon and provide all the Dust you want."

"That's fantastic!" The headmaster exclaimed happily "How many people do you have, and where can we find you?"

"I offered to take any Atlesian that might want to join you, but it seems most prefer to hole up in the capital. I have counted roughly fifty people, including me and Winter. We are located in my state, near the border with Vale."

Ozpin nodded, and then his face grew serious.

"I just want to make one thing clear: Beacon has allied with the White Fang." He told "Of course, it is far from the same terrorist organization of the past, but considering your views on the Faunus… I think it's best that you know who you'll be cooperating with."

"The White Fang…" Wade muttered "So you managed to ally with them. I can't say I'm happy about that…"

He grew silent, and Ozpin realized he was about to take back his words, and there was nothing he could say that would change his mind. Fortunately, Blake stood up from her chair and turned the screen towards her. The president examined her, first looking at her freed cat ears, and then at her missing left arm.

"Mister Schnee… I need you to consider your plans very carefully." She said seriously "Like Ozpin said, the White Fang is different now. We are not targeting humans to punish them for things they never did… Under my leadership, they are trying to create equality between the two races peacefully. But it's not a job we can complete by ourselves…"

"You want my cooperation?" Wade asked "I don't represent every human in Remnant, and even if I did, why would I help the people that killed my wife?"

"You're right. You don't represent every human, just as I don't represent every faunus. But we represent those that fight each other, the ones who constantly further the gap between us. For years, you've tried to convince people to take action against the faunus, and the White Fang has responded with only violence." Blake explained "If we could just stop that cycle… Don't you see how helpful that would be?"

The president just stared at her, his gaze not wavering. The faunus shook her head in disappointment and was about to sit down again, but Weiss got up and stood beside her, looking at Wade determinedly.

"Father." She spoke "Either you join us, or you die out there because of your stubborn hatred. You know which choice is right… If not for you, make it for Winter."

"…I will ally with Beacon." Wade sighed "We will start to make our way south. It might take a week for us to arrive at your school."

"We will send a group to escort you. The north is a dangerous place right now." Ozpin offered "Thank you for the help, mister Schnee."

Wade looked at Weiss for a few seconds, nodded, and then turned off the call. The three sighed in relief.

"That was a close one." The headmaster said "Weiss, you would make a great leader."

"I've been told so before." The once-heiress smiled faintly "May I lead the escort group, professor?"

"Of course. Take anyone you want with you." Ozpin looked at Blake "Will you be going too?"

The brunette looked at her girlfriend, conflicted.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I can't leave the White Fang right now." She sighed "There's so much we still need to do…"

"I understand." Weiss said, trying to sound happy "It'll just be a week. It's not like anything crazy will happen, right?"

"Yeah, it's not like you're members of team RWBY or something. I heard those girls are always getting into trouble." Ozpin joked.

The monochrome pair looked at him, not amused at all.

"Worst headmaster ever." He whispered to himself.

-x-

Ruby lied down on her bed, clasping her hands together and looking at the ceiling calmly. Taiyang stood beside her, looking at his daughter sadly, although he tried to appear happy for her.

"How long will it take, dad?" She asked softly "I don't want to feel this way anymore."

"That's good, sweetheart. It means you're ready to move on." He said "It's not something that goes away on a time limit, but… You'll just get better. The memories will bury themselves, and you'll be able to focus on other things."

"Okay… But I don't think I'll forget Cinder." Ruby admitted "I wish you could have met her."

"Well, considering how many boys your sister has seen before, I don't think anything could scare me anymore." Taiyang laughed "I'm sure she was a wonderful girl, but there will be others."

"Hopefully they're not infused with Dust… Although that was pretty cool."

The man smiled faintly and ruffled her hair playfully before leaving the room. He made his way to the kitchen, where Yang was sitting, staring at the table quietly.

"How is she?" The blonde questioned, not bothering to look at him.

"She's getting better." Taiyang answered, and took Crescent Rose from her belt without asking for it "Is there something wrong, dear?"

"No. Everything's fine."

_No, they aren't._ The man thought. _And I'll make them even worse now, right?_

"I think I know why your sister didn't want Crescent Rose." He began.

"That's obvious." Yang said, rolling her eyes "It reminds her of Cinder. She couldn't even fire it without thinking of her."

"Yes, maybe that's part of the reason." Taiyang agreed "But… I believe she also tried to use it on herself."

The silence in the room seemed to grow thicker following those words. After almost a minute, Yang turned her head to her father and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked, wanting to believe she had heard him wrong.

"I mean she tried to kill herself." Taiyang answered slowly, closing his eyes and shaking his head "It was right after Cinder died, or a few days later. Maybe you noticed anything weird?"

Yang frowned, beginning to realize he was right. She remembered how Ruby had asked for water, and when she came back, Crescent Rose was lying on the ground. After that, the redhead had insisted on not even holding the weapon…

_Don't hand it to your sister until she gets better_. Yang repeated Qrow's words mentally. _He knew. That's what he meant_. Tears flooded her eyes and she got up.

"Oh, no- No, no, no! _NO!_" She yelled "I would have noticed, dad! Ruby wouldn't do that, she loves us!"

"Sweetie… She was under a lot of pain." Taiyang muttered sadly.

"She's _Ruby_! She's my sister!" Yang insisted, backing away while shaking her head "She could have tried again, and I would have never been able to stop her…"

She made her way to the front door, slamming it open. When her father went to follow her, the blonde pointed an open palm at him.

"Leave me alone!"

She stepped out, closing the door behind her, and ran to the woods surrounding the house. Yang ran until she couldn't her home anymore, and then she sat down, leaning against a tree. She hugged her knees and buried her face in them, not able to stop her tears from flowing.

After half an hour, her crying ceased, but still, she refused to get up. There was nothing for her in that house anymore.

"Get up, Xiao Long."

She ignored the voice, barely registering it. After a few minutes, however, another one reached her ears, this time a softer, more comforting one.

"Hey, sweetheart. Why are you crying?"

Yang looked up, vaguely recognizing that voice. What she saw confused her: it was like she was looking at a mirror, although the figure looked a little older and paler than her.

"…Mom?" The girl muttered, not believing her own eyes.

The woman sighed and shook her head. Her form shifted, and in a matter of seconds, Summer Rose was floating there, looking incredibly guilty.

"I am sorry for doing that." She said "I can change my appearance if I try hard enough, and it's easier to mimic someone I am familiar with. I thought Raven would be the only way to draw your attention."

"You scared me." Yang whispered "My mother showing up is the last thing I need right now." She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear any remaining tears from her vision "Why did you want my attention?"

"You were crying. I sensed that, and thought I should know if there is something wrong." Summer answered.

"Wait, you mean you _sensed_ I was crying?" The blonde questioned "You can float, move at incredible speeds, alter you appearance, and now _that_? What else can you do?"

"I didn't sense it from far away." The woman refuted, and she almost looked embarrassed "I've been pretty close to you and your sister for the last days, just… Taking care of you."

Yang crossed her arms angrily.

"Well, where were you when Ruby tried to kill herself?"

"I… wasn't aware of that." Summer admitted, her eyes flickering sadly "How is she doing now?"

"Like _I_ know." The brawler muttered bitterly "Ruby won't even talk to me anymore. She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you." The ghost shook her head "She hates me."

"Maybe we can be hate buddies. Share the pain, you know?"

"I don't like that idea."

They spent a few minutes in silence. Yang just looked at nothing, her thoughts wandering with no direction, while Summer registered what her daughter had tried to do.

After a while, the blond girl looked up hesitantly.

"Can you do that again?" She asked "You know, mimicking my mother?"

"She was my best friend." Summer reminded "I'm not willing to do something like that so lightly."

"Please? I just want to know what she looked like."

Summer sighed, and after a few seconds, her form shifted until she looked like Raven Branwen again. Yang examined her thoroughly, noticing all the little differences between her appearance and her mother's.

"How was she like?" She asked all of a sudden.

"Raven was… Kind, and cheerful. She was always looking out for people, making friends with anyone, anywhere." Summer answered, her voice sounding like a deeper version of Yang's "In our first year at Beacon, I didn't really have any friends except for Qrow, but he was my brother… Nobody wanted to befriend the quiet, kind of weird redhead girl. But Raven just stepped up to me, introduced herself, and just like that, we were best friends."

"Should I mention the alcohol incident?" Yang asked slowly.

"No." The ghost answered immediately "You should _never_ mention the alcohol incident."

After a few more minutes, Yang spoke again.

"Do you know how she died?"

Summer flinched, and suddenly, she was back to her usual appearance.

"No. No, I don't. Never ask me again."

And before Yang could even blink, the ghost was gone. The blonde sighed.

_Damnit, Xiao Long_. She thought. _You scared your hate buddy away._

-x-

**Heeeeeeelloooooo. So, this chapter a bit delayed. Sorry about that! I've been having some internet problems lately... Hopefully they'll stop soon!**

**Reviews!**

**Cyborg: Nah, Ruby can't sense peoples' Semblances. She used the POWER OF LOGIC (it's very useful).**

**Lojzek: Turn Ruby into a psycho, you say? *fanfic suddenly becomes Blood Rose***

**Strategist: The sneaky plot point have a 6x bonus power. Still, if the original value is low, it doesn't help much. Also, Adam is pretty fun to write... Which is weird, because I never planned for him to have this personality... And I don't think this portrayal is even close to canon...**

**Ihavenoidea: Actually, Summer also had red rose petals, but then she died, so they became white. So if Ruby inherited them from someone, it was from her mother, but I don't really support that theory. I think it's just a personal trait that reflected on their Semblances... AND YOU SHALL NOT DEFILE THE NAME OF TRUE MONOCHROME.**

** Holy-shit-its-Raven-oh-wait-its-not-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	29. Darker realities

"Hey… Weiss? Are you awake?"

The once-heiress blinked repeatedly, fighting to stay awake. She looked to the side and found Blake, lying in the bed beside her. The faunus' ears were lowered, and her there were dark rings around her eyes, so she presumed she hadn't slept much at all.

"Blake?" Weiss responded "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I tried." The brunette whispered "But I can't… I'm worried about you."

"Worried about me?" The Dust user repeated, smiling faintly "It's just a small trip, and I won't be alone. Pyrrha is coming along, so any Grimm that tries to harm us will have hell to pay."

"Jaune's going too." Blake reminded.

"I suppose he can be helpful."

The faunus smirked, knowing that her girlfriend was only joking. Her perception of Jaune had changed a lot in recent times, even if she didn't want to admit it out loud.

"I'm more worried about when you meet your father." Blake said.

"What's there to worry? He's not going to beat me up or anything like that."

"Of course he's not going to do something that extreme. But he disowned you, Weiss. He might have listened to you, but that doesn't mean he's willing to allow you back into his life." The brunette explained "You might end up hurt emotionally, is what I fear."

Weiss shook her negatively.

"My father's hurt me enough already. If anyone's going to be hurt in that relationship, it's him." The once-heiress decided "I'm tired of waiting for him to become a better person. He's either going to change right now, or never. I'll try to push him in the right direction, but I won't be there to get him out of the wrong one." Then she frowned worriedly "I only hope Winter is okay. She might have been a brat before, but she doesn't deserve to be punished by my father."

"So you're doing this for her?" Blake questioned.

"Yes. I'm not going to let her be hurt because of his actions." Weiss said "Dust, can you _believe_ he wasn't going to join us just because of the White Fang? He was going to pretty much sign a death wish and take everyone around him down too!"

"Some people just take their beliefs too far. We've both experienced that first hand."

The two spent the next minutes in silence, until Weiss reached for Blake's hand and took it with her own.

"What about you?" She asked "I heard you talking about some groups that went rogue and are gathering together to defy you. That's a bit worrying."

"It's no big deal." Blake shrugged "I can't force them to join us. If they bother us here, we'll deal with them. Nora said if they come, she'll break their legs."

"I believe her."

"I do too." The faunus smiled "You know, since I can't sleep, and you're fully awakened now…" She rose an eyebrow "How about we make good on our promise to Yang?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"What promise?" Then she noticed Blake's smile becoming more suggestive by the second "_Oh_. Well, a Schnee never breaks her word!"

-x-

The next day, Weiss left early in the morning, Jaune and Pyrrha by her side. They exited the city of Vale and started to make their way north. While their numbers were low, there was an advantage to that: they could move way more quickly and they attracted far less attention than larger groups. Besides, the once-heiress was certain the three were enough to face any threat that came their way.

They passed the time talking with each other, although Weiss participated much less than her friends. She was content that Jaune and Pyrrha's relationship seemed to have flourished fully, but just hearing them interact already made her miss Blake, so she didn't really feel like talking.

It was because of that strange dynamic that the Dust user suddenly stopped in her tracks, one hand flying to her rapier's hilt while she prepared to form a glyph with the other.

"But Melanie is such a sweet girl, Jaune! She's not annoying at all." Pyrrha was talking "How can you speak this way about your own sister?"

"Hey, you don't have even _one_ sibling, so you don't know how it's like to live with almost ten." Jaune retorted "If you ever become part of a family as big as mine, you'll understand."

"Wow, that is _almost_ a marriage proposal." The redhead joked "Hit the brakes, Arc, this train is going too fast for me!"

"I didn't even insinuate that!" The boy refuted in frustration "Don't twist my words to your liking. If _you_ want to get married, just say it!"

Pyrrha was going to answer that, but she noticed Weiss had stopped walking, so she halted too and grabbed her boyfriend's arm so he would do the same. The two watched as the once-heiress drew her weapon and pointed it slowly around her.

"I know you're there." She called, her gaze flickering from one spot to the next "Reveal yourself, or I'll be forced to use Dust."

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and when she looked to the side, Adam Taurus was standing there silently. Weiss jumped back and swung her rapier, but he just ducked beneath the attack and raised his arms peacefully.

"That is _not_ how you greet people on the road. I think I preferred Dust, actually." He said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"What are you doing here?" Weiss asked angrily "You are supposed to be in Beacon."

"I'm not a prisoner. I'm doing Blake a favor and staying out of her way for now. Our last conversation was less than civil, to say the least." Adam explained "And by accompanying you, I'm doing her another favor of keeping you safe."

"Yeah, right. How kind of you." The once-heiress deadpanned.

"Thank you, Lady Weiss. People never appreciate my heart… You know, you were always my favorite Schnee… Even though there isn't much competition, really."

The white-haired girl raised her chin and pointed her rapier at him for a few more seconds before sheathing it, hoping he would understand she was not happy about his presence. However, she knew there was no amount of arguing that would make him leave, so she chose to just conserve her energy and allow him to stay.

"One wrong move, Taurus." She warned quietly.

"Spare me from this talk, princess. You are probably just going to echo your girlfriend, and I'm tired of giving the same answers." Adam said "Is it really that hard to believe I'm trying to be helpful?"

"No, it's not hard." Weiss answered "It's impossible."

The man sighed and turned his back, ignoring the cold glare she was giving him. He walked to Jaune and Pyrrha, got in the middle of the two, and passed his arms over their shoulders.

"So…" He smirked "What's the latest drama?"

-x-

Ruby sat on her bed, leaning against the wall casually. She was looking through the pages of a magazine her father had brought her this morning. It was all about her favorite subjects: weapons and fighting Grimm. However, she wasn't sporting a huge smile as she always did when reading about them.

She had tried really hard to be excited at the designs and figures, but the redhead just couldn't bring herself to even grin a little bit. Ruby didn't see intricate weapons anymore… In her mind, they were substituted by instruments of death, and not only of Grimm.

In her frustration, she closed the magazine and threw it away. It flew across the room and hit the opposing wall, and then fell to the floor, where it stayed half-open, almost like it was taunting her with its presence.

Her father entered the bedroom, gave a quick look to the object, and then smiled faintly at her.

"Good news." He said "The folks at Signal have begun seriously considering joining with Beacon to fight against the Dark. It may take a couple of weeks, but they'll surely do it."

"That's… great." Ruby commented. She tried to smile, but her expression faltered and she just sighed.

"Are you not happy about it? Some of your old teachers will join you in the fight. I admit they aren't half as good as Beacon's staff, but still… They're good people." Taiyang spoke, and then he pointed a finger at his chest "And, of course, I'm better than anyone at Beacon. I had to quit being a Hunter because everyone else's pockets would be empty in a matter of weeks."

_That's not true_. Ruby thought. _You quit because of Raven and Mom_. However, she decided to not repeat that out loud. She knew her father was only joking, and it would be horrible to repay his kindness and patience with such mean words.

"Dad…" She muttered "I don't know if I wanna go back to Beacon."

Taiyang frowned and walked to her, grabbing a nearby chair so he could sit beside her.

"Do you really mean that?" He asked seriously.

"Yes, I… I don't think I want to be a Huntress anymore." The girl confessed "I thought I knew how bad it could get when Blake lost her arm… But I didn't understand half of it, really. Hunting means you not only lose friends and family, but you also have to do horrible things, right?"

"That's… right." Her father shook his head in dismay "But that's a small part of the job. A Huntress, most of all, helps people that can't help themselves. It's a very noble position. It's very rare that we have to… deal… with human or faunus threats."

"Still, they have to do it." Ruby looked at her lap sadly "You know, I had no problem with fighting the White Fang… But I never stopped to consider they must have families too. And then, I saw it with my own eyes… Most of them just wanted peace, and they accepted Blake's offering of another chance." She then frowned angrily "And what about who I take orders from? Ozpin _ruined_ Cinder's life. He might be nice, but he also did horrible things."

Taiyang nodded slowly. He was all too familiar with similar cases to his daughter's: people often left their Hunter training behind when they were faced with the darker realities of the job. However, those that continued in that path never looked back: the memories of Raven's and Summer's dedication to being Huntresses stuck out to him in that moment.

"I can't say your concerns are false, sweetheart." He finally said after a few minutes "But you need to really think about what you want to do, and this might not be the best time to do it… Not only because of your state, but the world's too."

"Yeah… I can't just stand idle now." Ruby sighed "Ozpin will need me shortly, I'm sure."

"Yes." Taiyang agreed "Your headmaster is an interesting man… I have to admit I never really liked him too much. Of course, it was mostly because of teenager jealousy. Don't ever tell him I said this, but most of the girls found him to be handsome while I was a student at Beacon." He laughed lightly, but then his gaze darkened again "Still, I do have some real concerns about him… But they aren't things you should bother yourself with, dear."

The way he looked away from her and his lips shut tightly was something she was familiar with. He didn't do that often, but when he did, it meant he didn't want to talk about a specific topic, like it was dangerous to even touch upon it.

"Dad, can I ask you something about mother?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"Of course." The man allowed slowly.

"Did you lie when you spoke about her? Was she really as good as you made her sound?"

"Summer was a wonderful person. She cared a lot about her friends, and she did anything to save them from suffering." He paused for a few seconds "There were some times she was so fierce in that devotion, however, that she did hurt them without noticing it… But it was all with good intentions."

"What do you mean?" The girl questioned confusedly.

But then Taiyang made that face again and got up from his chair.

"You should probably rest, dear." He said "But I suppose you've been lying in that bed for days now… Maybe you should take a walk outside. You could talk with your sister, stop her from setting fire to the forest while she slays Grimm."

"Huh?" Ruby's eyes shot up "What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong." The man assured "It's just another case of _bad-hair-rage _."

"She might actually incinerate some trees if that's true." The redhead noted "But I don't feel like going out."

"That's okay. I'll check up on her."

Taiyang walked to the bedroom's door and smiled to her, but it faded immediately as he read the message in her eyes.

_I hate it when you keep secrets from me_.

-x-

_I won't leave you, I promise_.

Yang swung a fist, sending a blast against a nearby Boarbatusk, which exploded, never having chance of even touching her.

_I won't leave you, I promise_.

The blonde swung again two times, repelling two Beowolves that lunged at her. Her gauntlets shot at their chests, sending them flying back until they hit the ground and dissipated into smoke.

_I won't leave you, I promise_.

An Ursa Major stepped in front of her and swiped a claw toward her face, but she raised a fist and caught the attack, crushing the monster's bones with only her physical strength. Then, she spun and kicked the Grimm, knocking it to the ground, leaving it defenseless against her last slam.

_I won't leave you, I promise_.

Yang looked around, eyeing all the Grimm that surrounded her on all directions. She let her rage erupt, and a ring of fire exploded from her body, catching all the monsters and killing them instantly. The trees were ignited too, and they began to fall around her, but she didn't care.

The girl just hung her head low, her fists still closed as flames surrounded her.

"You didn't say you wouldn't leave me." She muttered "You never promised back, Ruby."

-x-

After four days of travelling, Weiss and her group finally met with Wade's. These days were spent with awkward conversations between Jaune, Pyrrha and Adam, and the once-heiress' quiet warning to the faunus ex-leader. So, when they finally spotted the Schnee's people, Weiss was supposed to be happy, but instead, she only felt a pit in her stomach as her father walked up to her.

"Hello, Weiss." He greeted evenly.

"Father."

The two stood in front of each other, just exchanging a wordless stare. There was a world of things both wanted to say, but neither knew how to start.

Weiss only broke from the stare when someone else stepped to her father's side. Winter looked at her hesitantly, her eyes at her sister's feet instead of her face. The once-heiress smiled and hugged her.

"It's so good to see you, Winter." She whispered "Are you okay?"

"…Sure." Winter muttered. It was so strange how her sister had turned from a cold, barely emotional girl to this worrying and smiling one.

"That's great! If you have need of anything…" Weiss said warmly "I'm here for you now."

The younger sister looked up from her shoulder, spotting the other people that had arrived.

"Who are these two?" She asked curiously.

"Those are Pyrrha and Jaune." Weiss introduced "They were first year students, like me, but they're very good Hunters already. Trust me, you don't ever want to fight against Pyrrha."

"Well, it's not like I'm the best warrior anyway…" Winter rose and eyebrow "But the boy doesn't really look like he knows what he's doing. His posture is all wrong!"

Jaune felt her judgmental staring and inched closer to his girlfriend.

"This feels like first semester all over again." He whispered in frustration "Seriously, I thought I had passed the Schnee test of quality already."

"Oh, don't make such a big drama." Pyrrha giggled "You can get better grades now. I think you barely hit average on the original test."

"Yeah… I'm not even going to dispute that statement."

Then Winter's gaze shifted to the last member of the escort group and she stepped back hurriedly.

"_Weiss_. What is _he_ doing here?" She questioned angrily.

"He's being a jerk." Weiss answered simply, much to her sister's surprise "Supposedly, he wants to leave Blake alone for a while, since she's sick and tired of dealing with him. But I know he must have some other motive."

Before she could continue the conversation, Wade stared at Adam and walked towards him, his fists closed threateningly. The redhead faunus gave him a sly look, crossed his arms, and sighed.

"Hello, Mister Schnee." He greeted "Will it change anything if I say I come in peace?"

"Get out of my sight right now, or I'll force you to leave." Wade demanded.

"Let's take the diplomatic approach for once." Adam decided "I'm a monster. I killed a lot of people, I tried to assassinate both of your daughters, and I've manipulated my kind so they would join my side in the conflict between humans and faunus." He admitted "You too are a monster, Wade Schnee. For years, you have mistreated innocent faunus, spread negative propaganda about them, and on countless occasions, you have tried to move an effort to annihilate my whole race." The faunus smiled faintly "The only difference between us, dear president, is that I'm willing to confess my sins."

Wade swung a punch at him, but Adam just sidestepped and shook his head in disappointment.

"Actually, I think the difference goes even further." The ex-terrorist realized "I'm trying to move on, to do good while I still can. I don't care what anyone thinks of me, _especially_ you. On the other hand, you've been stuck in the same spot for twelve years, and I haven't seen even the smallest effort to change."

The people around them watched in silent nervousness. Jaune and Pyrrha didn't know much about the situation, so they chose to just stay out of it entirely. Winter seemed conflicted, looking at Adam with amazement and her father with pity. However, Weiss was simply staring at the faunus coldly, one hand on her rapier's hilt, as if she was ready to jump to her father's protection at any second.

"That's enough food for thought for one day, Schnee." Adam decided "That's all I have to say. I am staying here, and I'm escorting you back to Beacon, whether you like it or not. I suggest you consider my words carefully if you ever want to speak to me again."

Then he put his hands on his pockets and walked to the middle of the crowd behind the Schnees. The four stayed silent, until Jaune raised his hands tentatively.

"Man, I _love_ family reunions!" He exclaimed, giving everyone a half-smile.

Pyrrha covered her face in embarrassment, while Wade and Winter looked at Weiss in disbelief. The once-heiress shook her head slowly.

"You haven't heard the worst of him." She muttered.

-x-

"Nora, I know how excited you are about these topics, but we can't just break their legs like that." Blake sighed.

Nora crossed her arms and looked between the faunus and her boyfriend, pouting childishly.

"You are corrupted by society." She stated, raising her chin sagely "The enforced rules of human and faunus behavior have chained you down, and you're not willing to get to the root of the problem here. Such petty reservations will only hold you down, and you shall forever live like a shell of a man."

Blake blinked several times, and then she looked at Ren.

"Have you been giving her books to read?" She asked.

"No. I don't even know what she's talking about, actually." The Aura adept confessed.

"I've been reading from your collection, Blaky!" Nora's face brightened up, and then she smiled devilish "I really like _Night of hearts_, by the way."

"Huh?" Ren muttered "I've never heard of that book before. Is it philosophy or something similar?"

"Oh, it's _nothing_ similar." The orange-haired girl giggled.

Blake blushed, recognizing the title immediately. _I really need to hide some of my books better. What if Weiss found them?_ She smiled faintly. _Actually, that wouldn't be so bad…_

"So, what should we do about the rogue White Fang?" Ren resumed the more important topic.

"We?" Blake repeated "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your help, but you don't need to actually join me."

"Why wouldn't we? Isn't the whole purpose of the new White Fang to bring equality?" The boy asked "If humans and faunus work together in your organization, isn't that already one step taken towards that?"

"That's a good point." The brunette smiled "Consider yourselves the first recruited members of the new White Fang."

"Uh… Miss Belladonna, I'd like to be considered a new member too."

The three friends looked towards the classroom's door. There was a young man standing there, and although he must have been at least twenty years old, his nervous posture and refusal to meet eyes with them made him look more like a fifteen year old. He had light brown hair, and there was a tail of the same color swinging coyly behind him. But for all his fearful nature, there were two daggers sheathed in each side of his hips, and even when they weren't drawn, it was very clear how dangerous they were.

"Do I know you?" Blake asked curiously.

"I don't think so… My name is Garret." He introduced himself "I want to be part of the White Fang."

"Oh. That's… unusual." The brunette said, and then she shook her head quickly when the boy's eyes dropped sadly "Sorry, that came out wrong. It's just that, since we are living what could be the end of mankind, no one wants to leave their homes and join an organization like mine." Blake explained "Why do you want to join?"

"Well, I've lived in the streets since I was a little boy. I learned to fight on my own, and eventually I managed to get a hold of these weapons…" He tapped his daggers "But I'm not a fighter… I guess it's just not in my nature. It's why I never joined the White Fang, their methods seemed to savage and not all that well-thought. But I think you can do a way better job of leading them." Garret said "And about the end of the world… Well, if we live life in fear, what's the point? I could die tomorrow anyway, but if I stop everything because of that, I'm not really living in the first place."

Blake was about to answer him, but in the blink of an eye, Nora was standing in front of the monkey faunus, her nose millimeters from his. Garret gulped and leaned back fearfully.

"What do you think of breaking legs?" The girl questioned slowly.

"I… Uh… I don't think it's a nice thing to do." He answered.

Nora grunted angrily and strode back to her boyfriend.

"See?!" She exclaimed "Even streets kids are chained down by society!"

"I was a street kid too, Nora." Blake reminded.

"And you should be ashamed of not fighting the system!"

The brunette smirked with amusement and then looked at Garret again.

"Well, you are welcome to join us. It's a pleasure to count you amongst our ranks." She said "I'm afraid we won't actually be doing much activism for now, however… Surviving the Dark is our first priority, and that means we need to organize the White Fang as fast as we can."

"That's okay." Garret assured "I've got no problems with fighting Grimm." He smiled "If you need any assistance, Miss Belladonna, just ask for me. I'll be there in a matter of seconds."

"Call me Blake."

He nodded and exited the room. Ren looked at Blake worriedly.

"Shouldn't someone guide his way to the White Fang's dormitory?" He asked.

"Like Nora said, he's a street kid." The faunus shrugged "Most of the time, we don't need someone to guide our way."

-x-

Winter got up in the middle of the night. She didn't feel any need to sleep at all, actually. She was tired of walking all day, of course, but she couldn't even bring herself to close her eyes for more than a few seconds. Maybe it was because she wasn't used to sleeping out of a comfortable bed, or that she was afraid of being attacked while she was unconscious… She wasn't really sure, but wondering about that wasn't going to help.

The heiress looked at her sister, who was leaning against a tree, her eyes closed. She was holding Myrtenaster in one hand, resting it on her lap, and the younger girl wondered if she would jump into action if she felt even the slightest poke. Considering that, she chose not to wake Weiss up.

Then she eyed Jaune and Pyrrha, who were leaning against each other a few meters away, deep in their sleep. Winter could swear she heard the blonde saying he would keep watch… Well, after exchanging a few words with him, it didn't really surprise her how quickly he had abandoned that responsibility. She looked forward to when Pyrrha would wake up and discover he was sleeping.

Winter only gave her father a quick glance, deciding without a thought to not wake him up.

Seeing as there was nothing else to do, she just wandered around the makeshift camp, until she spotted a lone figure sitting on a rock. She paused briefly before going to him. Adam was looking up at the moon, but when he heard her footsteps, he turned his head slightly to her.

"Hello, Little Schnee." He greeted.

"Don't call me that." Winter frowned.

"Why? It's just a friendly nickname." Adam rolled his eyes.

"I'm not your friend." She noted "And it's demeaning. I'm not little, I'm fifteen years old."

The faunus rose an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

"Well, it depends whose standards you're using." He said "By mine, you were an adult five years ago. By your family's… Never mind, I don't want to say demeaning things."

"Ugh. Now I get why my sister dislikes you so much." Winter commented.

"I'm afraid you're not getting it at all, actually." Adam chuckled "Did you forget the time I tried to kill you both?"

"No…" The heiress crossed her arms "But you're trying to change, right? So that's past."

The ex-terrorist whistled, impressed at her words.

"That's funny… I've barely shown you that I'm trying, yet you're the only one who believes in me." He told "Or you're just jerking me around. You never know with a Schnee…"

"I'm not jerking anyone around!" Winter refuted angrily "What's your problem? You don't even know me!"

"It's nothing personal. I've just learned to be careful around your family."

The white-haired girl sighed and sat beside him on the rock. The man gave her a sly look, but chose to indulge her with whatever she wanted.

"Why do you hate my family so much?" Winter whispered "I've never done anything to you, and neither has Weiss… I know father has done a lot of bad things to the beast- the faunus, but do you really have to make us suffer so much?"

"Let me give you a history lesson. This is something you haven't heard from your tutors, or whatever it is you have." Adam began "For uncountable years, the faunus have been mistreated by humans. This is a problem in all of Vytal, but it's even bigger in Vale and Atlas. To be frank, I don't know why we started to hate each other in the first place. Maybe it was something a faunus did, or just plain ignorance from the humans, but nonetheless, that hate exists." He took a brief pause to catch his breath "The worst thing about all of this is that the humans got the majority of the power. Look to the governments of the kingdoms, the popular faces on the television, the number of human Hunters compared to faunus, and you'll know what I mean. It's a miracle my kind wasn't wiped out centuries ago."

"For years, the faunus did nothing but survive. We took the mistreatment full on, and persevered. But some people just aren't meant to live on scraps." Adam told "There are perhaps dozens of abandoned cities or settlements on the borders of the kingdoms, and their only inhabitants are faunus who are segregated from the rest of society. I grew up in one of them, and, to my knowledge, it was one of the worst ones, because of a single reason: humans." He narrowed his eyes bitterly "They lived amongst us, but not _with_ us. They hunted us down at every opportunity, and the only reason the faunus managed to survive was their much bigger numbers. You have no idea how it is to wake up every day and know that you might be killed because you crossed a corner at the wrong time. It's miserable, life-draining… But to me, and some others, that gave us motive."

He clenched his fists, and his eyes seemed to glow red, as if there was something inside of him fighting to break free. Winter gulped silently, wondering if she should leave right now before something bad happened. However, she didn't think he would just let her walk away all of a sudden.

"We struck back. We took their weapons, we killed them, and one by one, we freed the faunus who suffered under their hands. And then, when I finally left that damned city, and I learned that there were others in a condition just as bad…" Adam shook his head "I couldn't just live my life knowing that and doing nothing about it. But, the thing is, you can't kill every motherfucker in every city and be happy, because some others will take their places in a question of days. What I needed to do was strike against someone bigger…"

"You mean my father." Winter realized "But… He doesn't orchestrate those things, does he?"

Adam chuckled.

"The fact you need to ask me that question is already a red alarm, don't you think?" He asked "But, no. He might try to convince other big heads to strike against us, but to my knowledge, he doesn't have anything to do with faunus hunters." The redhead assured "But he does represent something… He makes a huge part in inciting the human's hatred of the faunus. I thought maybe, if he were taken down, if he suffered, it would say something to everyone. A message: don't fuck with the faunus!"

He drew his sword and threw it on the grass angrily.

"It doesn't work that way." He muttered "Violence only causes more violence. I was just another damned hater in that vicious cycle, and if I ever succeeded, it would only escalate things further." Adam sighed and picked up his sword "Thank Dust for Blake Belladonna."

"What do you mean?" The heiress asked "Did she show you that your path was wrong by taking the White Fang from you?"

"Oh, no. I knew way before that." The faunus shook his head "But I couldn't just leave the White Fang leaderless, or some stupid _frog_ would take it, probably. Seriously, they're all imbeciles. And I also couldn't just suddenly become a pacifist, not only because nobody would believe me, but also because I simply don't have it in me to be a saint."

"But then why did you make Blake fight so much?" Winter questioned "Couldn't you just hand the position over to her?"

"The White Fang wouldn't respect that." Adam shrugged "Also, that girls needs someone to give her trouble. The real world isn't going to give her a single break, and she needs to be prepared for that. I'm more than happy to be that guy."

"I see…" The girl rubbed her chin and narrowed her eyes at him "Do you have a crush on her?"

The redhead looked back at her, one eye twitching, as if he had heard the stupidest thing in his whole life.

"No, I don't." He said firmly "I am twenty years old, I don't have _crushes_, and much less on someone who I could say is my little sister… When you ignore the fact that we tried to kill each other several times in the past."

"Yes, that was silly of me." Winter admitted "Then… Do you have a crush on Weiss?!"

"Okay, seriously?" Adam groaned "I thought you were smart! The only crush I have is on the thought of you leaving me alone right now."

The girl got up and started to walk away, but Adam turned around and pointed his weapon at her.

"If you repeat one word of what I said to you to _anyone_, I will chop your head off." He threatened.

Winter raised her hands in a mock gesture of peace.

"Oh, please don't, ex-terrorist." She said "I am _so_ afraid of you after you told me your life story!"

He swung his sword menacingly, and she smiled before walking away for good. Adam sighed and rested his head on one of his hands.

"I hate those Schnees."

-x-

Qrow fumbled with his Scroll, walking beside a road under the light of the stars. He groaned impatiently when his efforts to contact his companions failed again. That could mean two things: they were caught up in some job, or their Scrolls were broken.

Of course, there was one other possibility, but he didn't linger on it for more than a couple of seconds.

The man halted his steps when he heard the sound of something approaching him. He pocketed his phone and unfolded his scythe, pointing it to his front. He narrowed his eyes, trying to better see in the dark, but it was futile.

_Damnit, Qrow_. He thought. _You thought getting style points for traveling at night would be worth it_. _Now you're probably gonna get scared by a bulldog or something_.

What tackled him in the side was _definitely _not a bulldog.

He rolled on the ground, barely avoiding the barrage of flames that hit the spot he had fallen into. Qrow looked up and saw the outline of the primal Grimm from the burning town, and he swore he could see the stain of blood on its fangs and face.

"You fucker…" He muttered, realizing the worst outcome had happened.

The Hunter shot with his weapon, but the Grimm simply shrugged the round offs and lunged at him. He spun to the side and slashed its arm, but the beast wasn't even fazed. It growled and swung a claw at him, and he only dodged the attack by a few millimeters.

He started to swing his scythe in circles around him, the weapon becoming an extension of his body as he broke the monster's defense and staggered it. However, the hits didn't do any damage, they only angered the Grimm. It roared and dashed at him, ignoring the scythe completely.

Qrow was taken to the ground. That had never happened to him: anything or anyone that got caught in his weapon's onslaught of slices never broke free, much less attacked him. The beast slashed him in the stomach, and he felt blood begin to ooze out of the wound immediately.

_No. Not now._ He thought. _Ruby. Yang._

The Grimm leaned down, its unruly mane of hair obscuring his vision. Its nose hovered over his face, and it took a single sniff. Then, the monster jumped up and ran away in the direction he had been coming from.

_Patch._ He realized. _It sniffed me… Why?_

He tried to get up, but his wound flared up and he just fell down again.

_Yang's smell. It got it from me._ The Hunter pieced together. _It's going after her. I have to warn them…_

He reached into his pocket, but what he retrieved was the broken mess of his Scroll. Apparently, it was crushed when the Grimm had climbed on him. He slammed it to the ground in frustration.

_FUCK_.

"It can't get across the water." He whispered.

_I also thought it couldn't kill three experienced Hunters all at once, but it did._

Qrow tried to walk again, one hand on his stomach, but he only took three steps before falling to his knees. He fell to the side, his vision doubling and reddening.

There was a flash of white, and suddenly there was someone in front of him. She leaned down and looked at him, frowning worriedly.

"Qrow?" The voice floated to him "What happened? Can you stay with me?"

"What?" He muttered slowly "Summer? I'm not staying with you, you're _dead_."

"No, I'm… Well, I am dead." She said "But you need to hold on. Tell me what happened!"

Qrow groaned and looked at her, smiling faintly.

"I never believed in hallucinations… But I suppose if I were to have one, it would be you…" He trailed off "I loved you so much, Summer… There's not a day I don't… Think…"

"Qrow!" She yelled "_I'm real_! Believe me, please!"

His gaze wavered and he contorted his mouth, like he was doubting his own sanity.

"Ah, fuck it…" He said "Might as well have a chat… A Grimm got me… One of those primal ones, you know?"

"Yeah." Summer acknowledged, her eyes filling with hope "What did it look like?"

"I don't know… Long hair, medium stature… It breathed fire and felt invulnerable…" The brother frowned "Actually, it looked a lot like… Like…"

His voice faltered, and finally, he closed his eyes and became unconscious. Summer swore under her breath and got up, not knowing what to do. She had never felt this powerless before: her brother was dying in front of her, and she couldn't even lift a single finger of his.

"I-I'll get help." She whispered "Stay strong, Qrow. You can't die… I won't let you."

-x-

**Oh, man. Things are getting real. If you were getting bored by the relatively action-less chapters that I've been posting, well... Let me just put it lightly and say things are going to explode for SEVERAL chapters.**

** BTW, Yang didn't kill herself. Just wanna make that clear, in case someone thinks she would actually die by a forest fire she caused herself. Also, I hope Adam's speech wasn't too jarring to read... I think it was kinda long, but well, it is what it is.**

** Reviews!**

** Cyborg: Of course she knows. Using a canon quote by Lady Ruby Rose herself: "I'm a genius!".**

** Lojzek: I will rue the day Taiyang and Qrow appear in canon and their personalities are the same as this fanfic, but swapped. About the reconciliation... Just wait for next chapter *maniacal laughter* Also, this is kinda spoilerish, but don't worry, Ruby is not going psycho. I think that's too abrupt of a character change for my style of storytelling.**

** Twisted Fate MK 2: You know, I didn't actually realize how grim (hah!) some things in this fanfic are until I read your review. And damnit, it will get even grimmer (is that a word? It's almost a Pokémon.). I like that you like this story!**

** Adam-monologue-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	30. Of blood and love

"_Yang_?!"

Taiyang's heart almost jumped out of his mouth when he spotted the forest fire that was spreading near his house. He stepped away from the window and rushed outside, and then he stood a few meters away from the edge of the trees, trying to think of a solution to the dangerous situation.

The man breathed deeply and pointed his open palms towards the woods, and slowly he felt warmth spread through his body as his Semblance started to manifest. He closed his eyes in concentration and the fire seemed to become still, as if there was an invisible force containing it. Taiyang then grunted and shoved his arms down, and as he did so, the flames died, revealing the burnt husks of the trees.

The ex-Hunter sighed tiredly. He rarely used his Semblance these days, and never in this magnitude… Back when he was a student in Beacon, he could have done this a dozen times before having to rest, but now, he felt like he could fall down at any second.

Nevertheless, Taiyang shook his head determinedly and walked towards the forest. After a few minutes of searching, he found his oldest daughter sitting against a dead tree, her expression somber as she looked at her own lap.

"Yang." The man called firmly "What are you _doing_?"

The blonde looked up at him, and her eyes sparked with defiance.

"I'm being depressed." She said "Is that forbidden?"

"If it involves burning down a forest, yes, it _is_ forbidden." The father answered angrily "What were you thinking?! If I had taken a few more minutes, that fire would have been unstoppable! You would have been extremely lucky if the only hurt ones were Grimm!"

"I don't give a damn." Yang admitted "I was angry, and I needed some way to get it out of my system." When she saw her father's furious face, she got up and pointed a finger at him "You want to yell at me? Go yell at _Ruby_! She was depressed, and because of that, she risked her life and mine, but _no_, that's totally acceptable!"

"That is totally different." Taiyang noted "She didn't endanger anyone. She _tried _to protect you, but she failed." His face darkened "Why are you being so unfair to her all of a sudden?"

The girl rolled her eyes and smirked condescendingly.

"That's typical. _I'm_ the one being unfair." She stated bitterly "Ever since we've known each other, I've been by Ruby's side. I took care of her, and when she did something wrong, I took the blame, and I was glad to do it! I devoted my life to her…"

She stepped up to her father and stared into his eyes, her own threatening to become red if the situation escalated further.

"Forgive me if, one time in my life, I am not treating her like a child." Yang muttered "Ruby's grown up. She doesn't need me anymore. So please allow me to take care of myself for once and _leave me the fuck alone_."

She didn't slap him, but it felt like it. Taiyang' head hung low, and he didn't know to respond to anything his daughter said. Her words left him feeling sad and guilty, all his anger gone in an instant.

"…Just don't do anything reckless." He whispered as he turned his back to her "You're welcome home anytime."

"Beacon is my home." She stated.

He seemed to shrink at these words, an there was nothing left for him to do but walk away.

-x-

Weiss got up early in the morning, and made sure everyone followed her example quickly. She was happy to find Winter sleeping peacefully, and watched amusedly as Pyrrha gave her boyfriend an earful for sleeping on guard duty. In half an hour, the group was already moving south again.

The once-heiress was surprised when her father joined her, walking in the same pace beside her. Weiss gave him a discreet look, but didn't say anything.

"Weiss." He called after many minutes of silence.

"What is it?" She asked evenly, not even turning to look at him.

"Where is Blake Belladonna?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow, intrigued that he would make such a question… But she knew her father well enough, so wouldn't be tricked into thinking this would be just a friendly chatter.

"At Beacon, of course." She answered "She has a whole organization to look after now. The White Fang depends on her as a leader and a… guiding figure."

"I find it hard to believe they have changed at all." Wade stated "Terrorists don't turn over a new leaf overnight."

"Perhaps you were only labelling them as such. They aren't terrorists, they are people." Weiss sighed "You can have whatever racist opinions you want, but keep them to yourself. Blake is putting a lot of work into making the White Fang something better, something that will _truly_ make a difference… Don't make her job any harder than it already is, please."

"You are very passionate about this. I can't remember you ever speaking this way about anything else before." The president noted.

"Oh, you finally realized it?" The girl asked mockingly "I guess all that was needed after beating Blake up and disowning me, was a few months to think about everything…"

Wade didn't show any reaction to her words, but his daughter knew they made him furious, or at least frustrated.

"Is it true that you are involved with her?" He asked evenly.

"_Involved_?" Weiss repeated, smiling sadly "If by that you mean dating, then the answer is yes. We have been together for almost two months."

"Do you think that's wise? She might be your friend, but it doesn't change who she was before you met her. You'll end up hurt, I'm afraid."

The once-heiress stopped in her tracks and looked at him, narrowing her eyes in anger.

"Who do you think you are? You don't have any _right_ to say anything about my life." She seethed "_You_ hurt me. _You_ discarded me like I was trash. So don't speak a single word about Blake, because _she _has been by my side ever since we met each other…"

"I am just looking out for you." Wade muttered.

"You shouldn't."

Weiss started walking again, putting on more speed so her father would be left behind.

"I'm not your daughter anyway."

-x-

Blake walked through Beacon's campus, her expression serious, as it constantly was these days. She had just sent off a small group of the White Fang to recruit any other members that wished to join. The organization had many bases all throughout Vytal, but right now, they could only afford to visit the ones in Vale… But, admittedly, was not so bad, since that was the kingdom where they had the most presence.

She only hoped the effort would be worth the danger the people she had chosen to carry the job might encounter. News of the Dark's assaults on Vale's borders had spread quickly, and she was afraid of how long it would take until it moved further into the kingdom…

That worry naturally made her mind wander to how her girlfriend was doing right now. Blake felt a void in her stomach, the thought that she might never see Weiss again creeping up on her, but she just shook her head firmly and tried to smile to herself. The white-haired girl was strong, skilled and smart; she wouldn't be taken down in such a simple mission.

The brunette halted in her tracks as she felt a strange smell reach her nose. _A faunus_… She thought, her hand slowly approaching her weapon. _Hyena. That's never a good sign_.

And, suddenly, a man appeared before her, almost like he had surged out of thin air. He stabbed at her with a short sword, and the effort to dodge that unexpected attack left her breathless and confused.

"_Bitch_!" The hyena faunus yelled.

He swung his sword over his head, and Blake sidestepped, still winded. She drew Shade and stabbed at her opponent, but he took a step back and disappeared. The brunette gasped, her mind unable to piece together what was happening.

"Can't fight what you can't see, little girl." The man crackled from somewhere near.

"Who are you?" Blake asked, pointing her sword around carefully "Why did you attack me?"

"I am just a messenger of the _true_ White Fang." The response came from behind her "They are very saddened by how you were assassinated only a few days after becoming a false leader."

The girl dived to the right, but she still felt a sting as the man's sword caught on her shoulder. She swore and spun, aiming her attack to where he should have been, but again, he had disappeared. A kick to her back sent her stumbling forward, and as she looked at the ground, she saw the man's shadow towering above her, his blade raised high to strike at her.

Blake smiled savagely and prepared to use her Semblance, planning to trick her opponent and take him out in one single move. However, the man suddenly yelled in pain and fell to the ground beside her, two huge holes open in his back, blood pouring out of them and reddening the grass around him.

The girl righted herself and looked at her savior. Garret look at his bloodied daggers in disgust and sheathed them before looking at Blake apologetically.

"I'm sorry." He muttered "I shouldn't have killed him. It was unnecessary."

"I'm afraid there wasn't any other way to deal with him." Blake sighed "He could turn invisible. We can't keep someone like that prisoner, it's just too risky… Don't feel bad. You were a great help."

"I'm sure you had it all under control." The monkey faunus smiled faintly "You _are_ the leader of the White Fang, after all. This guy was underestimating you."

"That's true. I was confused at first, but when he slowed down, it was easy to find an opening." She agreed, feeling a bit flattered "Hopefully, this incident will stop any further attempts at killing me."

Blake looked at the body and frowned worriedly.

"Still… Inside Beacon…" She considered "Nobody would be foolish enough to do something so reckless. There was no way this man would have escaped unscathed, and it would be a stretch of luck for him to even complete his mission…" Blake looked at Garret "There's something else to this… Got any idea what that might be?"

"Maybe the deserters just wanted to gather some info on you? Or just make your life harder?" The dagger-wielding warrior shrugged "I wouldn't put it past them. They _are_ the more violent part of what your people where before. I don't think they care if one of their own dies."

Blake nodded.

"That might be right." She agreed "I need to think about his further, and talk to other people. We might have to take precautions against the deserters now…" The girl looked at the body and sighed "I'm really sorry I have to ask this of you, but… Could you move him into the morgue? I don't have time for that right now."

"All right…" He muttered "I was the one who killed him, anyway…"

"Thank you, Garret. You are a great help."

Blake smiled to him and then walked off. Garret poked the dead man with his foot, and then leaned down to pick him up.

"Sorry, dude. There was no other way." He whispered "At least you can be happy that your mission wasn't in vain."

-x-

_Kill_.

The Grimm emerged from the water and into the shore of Patch Island, its hairy mane sticking to its back and shoulders. It let out a powerful roar as the scent of salt left its nose, catching his prey's once again.

_Kill_.

There was single image in its mind right now: that blonde girl, fire surrounding her as she swung her fists at an assailant. The vague memory made the monster burn with rage, and it took off running at incredible speed.

_Kill_.

It entered a burnt forest, and it was only a matter of seconds before it spotted his target sitting quietly against a tree. The Grimm screamed and lunged at her immediately. The girl gasped and hit it, sending it to the side with a powerful punch.

"What the fuck-"

_KILL._

It rolled on the ground and got up, feeling the usual sensation of power as it registered the pain from the punch. The primal dashed at her, swiping at her with a claw, which she blocked in a hurry.

_KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL_.

Red surrounded its vision. Every survivor instinct was left behind, every restraint of power forgotten. The Grimm roared and sent a barrage of flames upon its prey, and as she held it back using her Semblance, the monster ran through it and hit her in the face.

The girl yelled in pain and stumbled back. She touched her cheek, feeling a deep cut on it, and when she look at her fingers, they were smeared in blood. The fear in her widened ears made the Grimm even more excited.

The brawler turned her back and began to run, but the beast followed closely. They got out of the woods, nearing a house, and the girl started to shout.

"_DAD!_"

In that brief pause, the monster managed to catch up and knocked her to the ground, raising a claw to tear at its prey. However, a sudden barrage of fire struck its chest, and it jumped back in surprise and rage.

A man appeared beside the blonde, a fierce look on his face as his hands were surrounded with fire.

The Grimm roared.

_TAIYANG._

-x-

"I think it might take an entire month for us to arrive in Beacon."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes as she heard Jaune's complaints. They were in front of the whole convoy, so when they looked back, it was very easy to notice how slow everyone was moving. Still, the redhead wasn't going to whine about it.

"Just be patient, Jaune." She recommended "There must be more than a hundred boxes of Dust for us to take to the school. Maybe you should go carry some of these?"

"Nope." Jaune answered immediately "I would probably break all my bones trying to lift them, right?"

"You're just lazy." Pyrrha giggled "I think it might take only a week, at most. Don't be so dramatic…" Then her face brightened up as she looked at the horizon "And there's that city on the way. If we're lucky, we'll be allowed to stay there for night."

"Allowed? Damn, it's hard to be bossed around by Weiss." The blonde muttered.

After half an hour, the travelers were in the city. Wade Schnee was inside of a hotel, arranging rooms for the group to stay. Considering there were more than fifty people in total, the process would take some time.

"Can't your father just clap his hands and buy the whole hotel chain?" Jaune asked Weiss after many minutes of waiting.

"We have an absurd amount of people with us, you dunce. It's not a matter of money or power; the hotel might not have enough available rooms for us." The once-heiress explained.

"So… He'll clap his hands and kick everyone else out!" The boy suggested.

"…That might actually be possible." Weiss admitted.

Jaune's eyes widened when his friend entered the hotel to talk with her father. He looked at his girlfriend, startled.

"That can't be true. I was _kidding_!" He exclaimed "They aren't _that_ powerful!"

"Hey, I'm sure I could kick a few people out if the staff recognized me as Pyrrha Nikos, the winner of multiple, consecutive Hunter championships." The redhead commented.

"No way…" Jaune whispered "You're all pulling my leg, right? _Right_?"

Pyrrha smiled and was about to continue the joke, but she felt a tremor and looked to the ground. Jaune noticed that and wondered what was wrong, when suddenly a gust passed through the city's streets. Everyone around them stopped their conversations, feeling like there was something very wrong about to happen.

"Jaune." Pyrrha's voice broke through the silence "Use your-"

A howl interrupted her phrase, and then a hundred more followed. In a few seconds, the air was covered in dirt and concrete as a huge king Taijitu emerged from the ground.

The Grimm flipped its tail, and at least ten of their people must have been crushed in that simple motion. The thing was monstrous: Jaune was sure that, if it uncoiled its whole body, its head would be able to reach the top of the ten story hotel.

The Taijitu moved his gaze, and the boy could swear he was looking straight at him. However, a sudden realization hit him: it was staring at the base of the hotel. The beast whipped his tail, and Jaune took Pyrrha's hand and concentrated, raising their Auras as much as he could.

The tail struck them, and they flew through the air until they hit the ground again. Pyrrha looked up, dazed, and watched as the attack continued and the building crumpled quickly, causing a tremendous noise that echoed throughout the whole city.

Then the Taijitu looked at another building, and once again, it struck. Pyrrha saw in the corner of her eye as Jaune stood up too, his sword and shield already prepared. Before they could race to the large Grimm, however, a hundred more surrounded them, their kind ranging from Beowolves to Boarbatusks, Ursas to Deathclaws.

The two locked eyes with one another.

"Together?" Pyrrha asked.

"Together." Jaune repeated firmly.

They turned and stared at the Grimm as they lunged at them, fighting back to back as the city fell to pieces.

-x-

"Qrow? Can you hear me?"

The man opened his eyes and immediately shut them again, the white ceiling almost blinding him. After a few seconds, he looked again, and met eyes with Summer, who was "standing" beside his bed.

"Oh, great." He muttered "I'm in a hospital, but I still am hallucinating."

"You're not hallucinating." She sighed.

"Yeah. I totally trust you, projection of my subconscious!" Qrow exclaimed "…I must sound crazy. Thank Dust there's no nurses here."

Summer shook her head, not sure if she should be amused or disappointed.

"I wasn't able to carry you here, since I am a hallucination." She explained, deciding to just indulge him. If he truly believed she was only his imagination, it would be for the best, she realized "So I had to wait for someone to drive by. Luckily, it only took a few minutes until help arrived."

"Thank you so much for caring for me, imaginary Summer." Qrow frowned "Wait, if I was unconscious for so long, how come you, and logically I, know how I was rescued?"

"…The brain works in strange ways." The ghost said slowly "Hey, I am part of your mind. I understand these matters as much as you do."

"Damnit. I knew I should have studied more…"

"Anyway… What happened last night?" Summer asked, hoping to move the conversation to something more productive "You were very desperate."

The Hunter took a few seconds to answer that.

"Something important… You're trying to make me remember something important, right?" He muttered "My mind is trying to tell me something…"

"…Sure. Something about the Grimm."

Qrow looked up suddenly.

"It sniffed me."

If Summer was actually part of her brother's mind, she would be ashamed of it right now. However, his serious expression alarmed her, so she decided to keep paying attention.

"It got Yang's smell." He said "It's going to Patch. I need a cellphone."

The woman's face froze in fear as she finally pieced everything together.

"There's no need for a cellphone." She stated "I must go now."

Then she disappeared. Qrow stared at the spot she had been filling, blinking repeatedly.

"Seriously, brain." He whispered "What is wrong with you?"

-x-

Winter groaned as she got up. The dust in the air hurt her eyes, and she had to blink repeatedly until she could see properly again. Looking all around her, she saw only the rubble of fallen buildings. She realized she only survived by a stroke of luck: the Taijitu's rampage had made all the buildings in the block collapse, and now she was standing in the middle of their ruins.

She tried to find an exit, but it was futile: there were walls of concrete at every direction, and she didn't have the power to move them or the skill to jump over them. Her only consolation was that no Grimm could get to her… So in a way, the people outside were the ones actually trapped.

Winter's eyes wavered in fear and concern as she heard the sound of the battle nearby. Most of it was roars and howls of the Grimm, but mingled with those were the screams of humans and faunus. Some of those were of bravery or determination, but they were far outnumbered by shrieks of fear and pain.

_Weiss. Father_. She thought. _They're out there. I need to help them._

The heiress looked at a wall of rubble and pointed her open right palm at it.

_Come on, Semblance._ She closed her eyes, feeling a bit of sweat on her forehead. _I know I can. Weiss got it from Mom, why wouldn't I have it too?_

But the girl knew that was hopeful thinking. While Semblances were genetic, it wasn't always certain that it was passed down to every child… In fact, it was more common for them not to be passed down than the other way around. Her mother passing her Semblance down to both of her kids… The possibility wouldn't reach a two digit percentage.

"_No_." She muttered determinedly "I _can_ do it."

She focused again, closing her eyes, and after a few seconds, she heard the sound of rubble flying past her in high velocity. The girl opened her eyes and smiled, but that quick faded when she realized she hadn't done anything: a Nevermore had landed on the rubble and was staring directly at her, like a bird would do to a worm it planned on snatching.

Winter regretted ever giving up on using a rapier. Wade had insisted that both his daughters learned to defend themselves, but she hadn't lasted three lessons before she gave up. She liked to think it was because she found the thought stupid: who the hell used a rapier for self-defense? But truly, she only quiet because Weiss was much better than her in that aspect.

Now, however, she would have traded anything for even a piece of wood to defend herself with. Since she didn't have anything, the girl was forced to dive to the side when the Grimm tried to catch her in its grip. The Nevermore landed in the middle of her prison, effectively trapping her between it and the walls.

_This is pathetic_. Winter's eyes watered. _You can't use your heritage to protect yourself when it matters the most._

Thankfully, the beast suddenly shrieked in pain and collapsed to the ground. It faded into smoke, and from the middle of it Adam Taurus stepped out of. He offered her a charming smile as he swung his sword in a circle.

"Hello, Little Schnee." He greeted.

"Thank Dust- I mean, how did you know I needed help?" The heiress asked, trying to sound composed.

"I didn't _know_, but I assumed you did." The faunus chuckled "You don't have any combat training, do you?"

"…No. That doesn't matter right now!" She exclaimed angrily "Where's my family? Did you see them?"

Adam stayed silent for a few seconds, and then he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"The two of them were inside the first building the Taijitu collapsed." He told.

"…I don't believe you." Winter shook her head vehemently "They are _fine_."

"I didn't say they weren't." Adam noted "Knowing you Schnees, it will take more than a falling building to get rid of you. Not that I _want_ to get rid of you, as demonstrated by me looking for you in the middle of this hell-party."

"You were _looking_ for me?" The girl asked suspiciously.

"I had a feeling you would need help." He shrugged "What can I say… I'm just that much of a good guy."

-x-

"Stand back, Yang!"

Taiyang roared as he directed a wall of fire towards the primal Grimm, who just took it in stride and grunted threateningly.

"No!" The blonde girl yelled "It wants _me_, father! I have to fight it!"

"I said _stand back_!" The man shot back "Your arms are not completely healed. If you injure them again, there will be permanent damage!"

"If I don't fight now, we'll all be permanently _dead_!" Yang complained.

The discussion was interrupted when the Grimm jumped towards Taiyang, using both of his claws to slash at him. The ex-Hunter stepped back, narrowly dodging the offensive, and then swung a kick at the monster's feet, managing to get it off-balance.

"You don't even have a weapon, dad!" Yang exclaimed.

Before her father could answer that, she joined his side and punched the Grimm, sending it skidding back. Taiyang grunted angrily and pointed a palm at the monster, launching a fireball that hit its face. The beast roared with hatred and was surrounded by flames.

"Holy shit." The man muttered "Does _anything_ hurt that?"

"All tests have been negative." Yang answered "In fact, it only gets stronger, it seems."

"Like your Semblance?"

The girl blinked, noting how right her father was. She hadn't ever considered the possibility of the Grimm having her same trait… Then she examined the monster's long hair and feminine form, an idea began to form in her head.

That pause allowed the beast to close in on them. Yang wasn't quick enough to react, and a single punch sent her flying back. Taiyang tried to hit the primal, but it took hold of his fist and crushed it, making him scream in pain. He fell to his knees, and then the Grimm slashed his chest, leaving four deeps cuts across it.

Before it could finish him, however, a figure crashed against its body, making it skid back several meters. Ruby appeared in front of her father, breathing heavily, red petals falling down around her.

"Ruby, _go away_." He urged weakly "Take your sister and _run_."

"No! I'm not leaving behind!" The redhead refuted "Where's Crescent Rose?!"

"I stashed it, but that doesn't matter right now. You can't kill that thing- no one can. Just run and-"

He spat blood on the grass, and Ruby's eyes widened in horror. That distraction made her miss the Grimm's return, and it crashed against her, sending her flying away. The beast leaned down and grabbed Taiyang by his shirt. It threw him up, and as he fell, it shoved an arm forward, piercing his stomach.

The Grimm roared triumphantly before tossing him to the side, where he stayed limp on the ground. Ruby and Yang got up and stood side by side, shaking in terror after witnessing that brutality.

"It- it-" The redhead muttered, tears streaming down her face.

"_YOU KILLED MY FATHER!_"

Flames exploded around Yang and she dashed forward, swinging a punch at the Grimm. The monster took the punch on the cheek, but it didn't even lose its balance. After the girl's momentum was gone, the primal turned her neck again to look at her, a vicious smile on its face.

"_Yang!_" Ruby yelled "Get out of there!"

The blonde trembled with rage, but she suddenly felt a spike of pain throughout her whole arm. She stumbled back slowly, and the beast watched her, as if it was delighting itself on finally having her totally defenseless.

There was a flash of white, and in the blink of an eye, Summer was floating between the Grimm and Yang. She looked at the monster, which looked at her angrily.

"Step. Away." The ghost warned, her words filled with emotion.

The primal grunted and swung a claw at her, but the attack passed right through her harmlessly. It retreated with small steps, eyeing her fearfully.

"Out."

The Grimm halted its movement and glared at her again, as if it was building courage to resume its assault. Summer closed her eyes, and her face shifted until she looked much younger. She was like a slightly older Ruby now, and the beast's reaction was to start retreating again in frighten.

"Go away, _Raven_."

The Grimm roared and turned back, running away from its preys.

After a while, Summer turned to look at Yang, her face retaining its usual appearance. The blonde stared at her, eyes wavering as she registered everything that had happened.

"You- you called her Raven." She said slowly "That… _thing_… Is my mother?"

"…Yes." The ghost sighed "I am so sorry. I should have told you sooner-"

"I _asked_ you. I fucking asked you what had happened to her." Yang's voice was filled with rage "You didn't answer, and all this time, she has been hunting me. You _knew_… YOU FUCKING SAW HER BEFORE AND DIDN'T SAY _ANYTHING_?"

"She was my best friend." Summer stated, almost whispering "She killed me."

Yang's face was distorted with hatred, but before she could yell even more, another voice reached them.

"_Summer_?"

The ghost looked to the side and saw Taiyang, who was lying on the ground, only his head raised to stare at her. Ruby was kneeling beside him, one hand on his stomach, widened eyes darting from her father to her mother.

"You're alive?" The man muttered.

Summer appeared before him, her expression somber.

"No. I am dead."

She moved her cloak away from her stomach, revealing an ugly hole in it.

"That's how you found me, right?" She recalled "I didn't survive, Taiyang. But… I am still here. But I can't…"

The woman closed her eyes and turned her face to the side. Taiyang breathed deeply, slowly taking the information in. Had those been normal circumstances, he would have immediately started to question her… But right now, there was a gap in his stomach and slashes on his chest, so he just took the fact as granted.

"Then I guess I won't be seeing you on the other side." He whispered, his eyes watering "And Raven won't be there too…"

"Don't say that, dad." Ruby begged "You're going to be all right… We just need to call an ambulance and they'll help you and then-"

"No, sweetie." He interrupted "I'll never make it. So… Let's make good use of my final minutes, please."

Yang stood near him, her head hanging low as she clenched and unclenched her fists. From time to time, a flame would jump out of them, but her sadness surpassed her rage by far now.

"Hey, blondie." Taiyang called "I'm sorry for being angry at you earlier. You're the best daughter ever, you know that?"

"…T-thanks." She said, containing a sob.

The dying man looked at Summer briefly and then turned his gaze to Ruby.

"And you, Ruby…" He sighed "There's a little secret I need to tell you."

"…Taiyang." Summer spoke "You don't need to do this right now."

"I'm sorry, Summer. It's been sixteen years. I can't keep this from her any longer."

The woman sighed and nodded once, accepting his decision. She had no energy to argue with anyone right now.

Ruby looked at Taiyang and squeezed his hand.

"What is it, father?" She asked nervously.

"You're the best _adopted_ daughter ever." He answered, smiling sadly.

The redhead stared at him, not moving a single muscle. A burst of flames left Yang's body, and she took a step back.

"What do you mean?! _Adopted_?" She repeated confusedly "Ruby… Ruby isn't your daughter?"

"I'm sorry I lied to you both." Taiyang whispered "Please, just understand… I love you two, like I've never loved anyone before, even Raven… It doesn't matter if Ruby isn't my blood. She has a place in my heart right beside yours, Yang."

The blonde looked at Ruby, who stared right back, her face unreadable. The brawler suddenly turned her back to them and started to walk away.

"I'm going after Mom." She stated.

Fire exploded around her as she set off in a run. Taiyang sighed and looked at the younger girl.

"I guess this is how our goodbye will be." He said sadly "I'm really sorry about keeping such a big secret, dear. I don't even know who your real father is…"

"It's… Okay." Ruby smiled faintly "You are my real father. I'll find out who's the other one another day."

"… I could tell you." Summer whispered, not looking at any of them "But maybe you already know… You did figure out Raven was the Grimm, right?"

The redhead got up and nodded. Apparently, her mother was paying more attention to her than she thought.

"I noticed the Semblance was the same as Yang's… And they do look a bit alike, if you compare the two." She noted "I don't really care right now, mother. Whatever reason you had for lying… You can try to explain it later."

She turned to Taiyang.

"Where's Crescent Rose?"

"…My bedroom." He told "Why?"

"I'm going after Yang." The redhead said "Maybe we can reunite you with Raven, after all."

"Is that how Grimm work? Do they have an afterlife?" The man chuckled weakly.

Ruby disappeared in a shower of petals. Ten seconds later, she was back, her scythe on her hands.

"I don't know." She flashed him a smile "But I know they can be all be killed."

The girl leaned down and kissed him in the forehead. Then she stood up again, a serious look on her face.

"I'm done crying."

-x-

Weiss panted as Myrtenaster fell to the ground in front of her. She could barely see three meters in front of her, so thick was the dirt in the air inside the ruined building. The once-heiress had acted quickly and used all the Dust in her weapon to try and stop the whole construction to fall down, but the best she had been able to do was divert some of it to the side.

Her last effort was to protect herself with her glyphs, and that had hurt like hell too. Eventually, she had been able to drop all the imminent falling threats away from her, but it had left her drained.

"Father?" She called.

The main lobby was relatively clear because of her work, but still, she saw blood on the debris she had been unable to stop. She felt horrible: she should have been able to save everyone, but she was barely prepared… And now, if the Grimm entered the hotel, she knew she wouldn't be able to lift a finger to fight them.

"Father?" She called again.

"Weiss!"

She raced towards the voice, and eventually, she crashed against the president's form. The man looked at her, startled.

"What happened?" He asked "How are we alive?"

"I did everything I could to protect us…" The once-heiress explained "It wasn't enough… Everyone in the upper floors is dead, and I haven't seen anyone else but you."

"I haven't met anyone else either." Wade said "You're completely exhausted… We need to get out of here right now."

He tried to pick her up, but she slapped against his arms weakly and backed away.

"We can't just _go_." She reprehended "There's people outside, and they need help."

"I don't want to abandon them, Weiss, but there's nothing we can do." He sighed in frustration "We'll find Winter and leave this city."

"Then _you_ can go." The girl seethed "I'm staying. Just tell me where the Dust is."

"It's intact." The president shook his head "What could you do with it? There's hundreds of Grimm out there. Even with so much ammo, you can't take them all."

Weiss walked past him, ignoring his talking. When she finally reached the Dust, she gestured for him to stop.

"I mean it, father. I'm not just being angry." She stated "I need you to leave now, or you'll die if you're near me and my plan works."

"What plan?" Wade spat angrily.

"Just _go_." She turned to him "Father, I have a family, and I don't mean only you and Winter. Everyone I met in Beacon… They welcomed me and showed me so much love. They made me feel like I've never felt before… Like I belong." Weiss let a single tear stream down her face, but she didn't bother to wipe it away "Maybe once you had something similar… But whatever notion you had of family has been twisted. It's not a title to display proudly, a name to identify your lineage… Family is about people you love."

"I don't know if they think of me the same way, but Pyrrha and Jaune are family to me." The white-haired girl said "I'll do anything to protect them. Don't try to stop my trying that."

Wade stood silently for a while, just looking at his oldest daughter. Eventually, she turned her back to him and started to open the Dust crates one by one. The man nodded once and started to walk away.

Minutes later, Weiss had all the boxes opened. There must have thousands of Dust cylinders surrounding her now. The once-heiress breathed deeply and extended both of her arms to her sides.

_I don't even know if this is how it's supposed to be done. Didn't they have any actual equipment, or did they actually make the kids consume the Dust? None of them must have had proficiency with it…_

She felt the particles spinning around her as she willed them to. There was a multitude of colors filling her vision: red, light blue, brown, green, dark blue, yellow.

_I don't even have a conduct… This might just blow up my body. What a poetic ending to Weiss Schnee. Always an overachiever, she tried to fly too high and fell face first on the ground._

The Dust touched her skin, and she felt a multitude of temperatures conflict across her body.

_A hundred kids dead. I'll be no different… And if I do survive, I'll be like Cinder Fall…_

She smiled and chuckled lightly.

_Please don't develop feeling for me, Ruby Rose. I'm already taken_.

Suddenly, her vision turned white and she felt like there was something tearing her from the inside, a million different forces colliding in her organism. She just wanted to fall to her knees and let them win, to let this agony be over.

_No. I can do this. What would Yang say…? Probably something involving me melting…_

She slammed a fist against the ground, her whole being fighting against her. Her head started to feel light, and she was sure she was going to leave her body behind if it got any worse.

_It's too much. I can't do it. I'm sorry, Blake._

She felt the Dust start to leave her body, slowly taking her life away at the same time…

-x-

They met again at the shore.

Yang looked at the Grimm, and the monster looked back at her. Maybe this was meaningless… But the girl wanted to believe they were actually communicating in some way.

"You're not there anymore, right, Mom?" She muttered.

The Grimm approached her slowly, and lowered its stance until they were eye to eye.

"You… You killed Dad." The blonde said tiredly "You almost killed me…" Her throat was dry, and she couldn't even sob anymore "Come on, can you do it now? I can't even fight anymore… There's no point to it…"

"Dad's gone. Ruby's not my sister. Summer is a liar." She listed "What's the next thing? Will I go back to Beacon and find out someone died? That the White Fang went nuts and murdered everyone? I'm willing to believe anything right now…"

She sighed.

"Just do it."

Yang looked at her mother's eyes, and in that instant, they seemed to darken even more. The blonde tried to blink, but wasn't able to. She felt her mind slowly fading away, all her happiness and hopes being replaced by fear and hatred.

She felt her whole body burn from the inside, and at once, she fell to the ground.

It was only minutes later that she would look up again, her vision darkened, as if there was a black filter on her eyes. Raven looked down at her, and the Grimm smiled savagely.

_Kill…?_

Yang heard the voice in her head, and then she smiled too.

_Kill._

-x-

**... JESUS CHRIST. This chapter almost killed me. Seriously, I finished it and just had to do nothing for five minutes. This was 6785 words long. YEAH. THAT'S A LOT. And the funny thing is... There was supposed to be one more scene in the end, but I felt like it would be too much stuff to put... You'll probably know what scene I mean when I post the next chapter. **

** Reviews!**

** Lojzek: ...One chapter early! Either you are very smart, or I'm way less subtle than I think I am... Or did you think she turned into a Grimm last chapter? Because that would be pretty funny considering it happened _now_... About the credit stuff... I hereby call that in canon Ruby isn't Taiyang's daughter too. But the question is... WHO'S THE FATHER ?! A****h, fuck it, you all probably know already, so I'll just say it. Adam Taurus from the future where the Dark killed everyone except a few people, then he traveled to the past to stop the end of the world, but went too far back and had an affair with Summer. I know, it's so obvious, I'm the worst writer ever.  
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** Strategist: Don't listen to Lojzek! Next thing he's gonna spoil is when Summer is revealed to be the spirit of the moon and she merges with it to defeat the Dark! Oh wait... Shit. My bad.**

** Ihavenoidea: Hey, Qrow is alive! I don't kill people all of a sudden! *rereads this chapter* Oh, wait.**

** This-chapters-word-count-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	31. Metamorphosis

"Jaune?"

The boy swung his sword, cutting off an Ursa's head cleanly, before looking behind him. Pyrrha was making circles with her own weapon, but he could tell by her stance and expression that she was getting tired.

"I don't know for how long I can keep this up." She said.

"That's okay. You rest; I'll take them all until you're ready again." He offered.

"I can't let do you do that." Pyrrha frowned "I can still fight, I'm just warning you…"

"No discussion." The blonde refuted "The last time this happened, you almost died. You're not invincible, Pyrrha… But as long as you're with me, you don't need to be."

All she wanted to do right now was drop her weapons and just hug him, to make him know there was no one else she would rather be with in the whole world. Instead, she just gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and righted her stance.

"You're not my bodyguard, Mister Arc." She smiled "If anything, I'm yours. And I don't wanna deliver any bad news to your seven sisters…"

"Oh, for sure you don't! The crying would ear-shattering!"

-x-

"I'm so glad you're safe." Wade smiled "I thought I had lost you back there."

"I'm sorry, dad." The once-heiress apologized "I don't know why I was so stupid. There was no way for me to help."

"It's good to have you back, dear."

The girl looked around. The only thing she could associate this place with was the fields of Vale, but she couldn't remember how she got there…

"Where are the others?" She asked.

"…They couldn't make it out of the city." Wade revealed "I'm afraid Miss Nikos and Mister Arc are dead."

"That's… horrible." Weiss gulped "What about Winter?"

She saw a single tear slide down her father's face, and suddenly the world spun around her, and when it stopped, she was standing on Beacon's campus. The girl shook her head, dazed, and looked ahead of her.

Yang was sitting on the grass, hugging her knees with her face between her legs. Weiss watched for a few seconds before poking her in the shoulder.

"Yang?" She called "What happened?"

The blonde looked up, her eyes red. She rose and pointed a finger at her teammate's face, fire burning around her body.

"What _happened_?!" She repeated "The whole world has gone to hell, and you've been nowhere in sight! You abandoned us!"

"What? I-I didn't!" Weiss stepped back nervously "There was nothing I could do! I swear! I tried everything, but I couldn't save anyone!"

"Fuck you. You only want to save yourself, always. I'm done being your friend."

Fire enveloped them both, and when it cleared, Weiss was standing in the middle of her dormitory room. She looked around, and quickly set her gaze on the only unusual thing there: Ruby's bed. She saw Crescent Rose's shape on it, and hesitantly, she picked it up.

The once-heiress examined the scythe, and in a few seconds, she let it drop to the ground. There was blood dripping down the blade, almost making a puddle where it fell.

"Congratulations."

Weiss looked at the doorway and found Adam leaning against it, clapping his hands slowly with a condescending smile on his face.

"What happened?" She asked again "Where's Ruby?"

"If I knew, I would write a book on it and make lots of cash." He chuckled "Your friend killed herself when she learned of Jaune's and Pyrrha's deaths… And, supposedly, yours too. Maybe you should have showed up sooner?"

"I couldn't do anything!" She screamed desperately "Why can't you people understand that?!"

The scene shifted again, and now she was sitting in front of the lake at her father's state. She looked to the side and noticed a beautiful woman beside her, with white hair and refined clothing… But for all her regality, she still wore a pleasant, honest smile.

"Mother?" The girl muttered.

"It's acceptable that you couldn't do anything." The woman comforted "It's not the first time, Weiss. You also couldn't do anything when they killed me. I understand you… You're my little girl… Stop struggling, you can join me…"

She offered a hand and smiled even brighter. Weiss looked at it for a few seconds before reaching for it. Before they touched, however, another hand took hers and dragged her away.

Suddenly, she was standing in front of a warehouse, and the sky was dark above her, filled with hundreds of stars.

"Why can't you do it?" Blake asked.

"I… I failed." Weiss said "I just don't have it in me."

The faunus shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm so sorry!" The once-heiress sobbed "I tried to be strong, but I _can't_! I'm not like everybody else… I can't protect anyone. It's only about me, always." Her hands trembled as she covered her face with them "Everybody does their best for their loved ones, and they always succeed! But every time I try, it doesn't work. I'm not meant to be love anyone, and nobody should rely on me."

Blake looked at her silently, and she was sure the faunus was going to turn and walk away. Instead, the brunette stepped closer and hugged her.

"I don't rely on people on people I love. I just believe them." She whispered "And I love you, Weiss Schnee."

"_Why_?" The once-heiress questioned "I'm a horrible person. I've done nothing to deserve you."

"You've never doubted me before. Why would do you think I'm wrong now?"

Weiss looked at the ground, her expression dark.

"I don't want to lose you, Blake." She decided "Not like I've lost Ruby, and Yang, and Winter-"

"You haven't lost anyone. Not yet." Blake assured. She smiled confidently "You said you love me and the others? Well… Maybe the one person you should learn to love is yourself."

The once-heiress blinked, and then her girlfriend was gone. She looked at the sky and narrowed her eyes determinedly before the world around her turned to white.

-x-

Taiyang breathed slowly, feeling his strength fading away as the seconds passed. He had always thought he would meet his end either as an old man, or in the middle of a battle… He had never imagined he would be injured fatally and be left to die.

Still, the ex-Hunter wasn't panicking. There was a certain comfort in the way the world slowly became grayer and his thoughts wandered away… He didn't care about the pain at all, only his final moments mattered now.

"Summer?" He croaked.

The woman floated beside him, her expression unreadable as she looked at him.

"You shouldn't speak." She warned "You'll die faster if you do."

"Whatever. I prefer quality over quantity." He chuckled weakly "Don't you want to follow Ruby?"

"There's nothing I could do to help her." The ghost sighed "Besides, she probably wouldn't want me to help even if I could."

"I guess she knew about… Your condition, before I did." Taiyang realized "What happened to you, Summer?"

She looked away for a few moments, as if she was gathering her courage to tell him the truth.

"A few weeks after I left to look for Raven, I was in the snowy forests to west of Vale… Suddenly, I was attacked by a swarm of Grimm, which I killed easily." She paused and closed her eyes "However, another one appeared… A primal. At first, I was very confused… Then I remembered what Ozpin had told me about the Dark, and I realized it was Raven. I couldn't bring myself to kill her… So she killed me."

"That's… horrible. You two were so…" Taiyang shook his head sadly "Anyway. So you _died_? Because that's the part that really makes no sense to me."

"I'm a… spirit. A ghost, if you like that term better." Summer explained tentatively "I am not really connected to the physical world, so, for example, I can't touch anything."

Taiyang nodded, accepting the brief explanation. He felt no need to know any further, and he figured Summer didn't want to talk about it any longer.

"Why didn't you visit us?" He asked "I would have welcomed you gladly into my home. You were my best friend, Summer, and you'll always be."

"…Thank you. I know you really mean that, but… It would never work. I am not Summer Rose, Taiyang." She muttered "I'm just a sliver of what she used to be… Just a pale, crippled copy. Someone who would just make you miserable, a mother no girl deserves…" Summer stated firmly "I could never do that to Ruby, or you and your daughter. It was for the best that I stayed dead."

She turned her back to him to hide her tears, clenching her immaterial hands to contain her frustration.

"It's so easy to grow attached to someone, Taiyang. All it takes is a few moments, some nice words… It's a wonderful thing, love and friendship." She said "But what happens when that someone is gone? When they die, or they just disappear? Worst of all, what happens when that person can't even return a fraction of what you give them?"

"It would have been selfish to go back to your home. The way it happened…" Summer turned back to him and shook her head "Ruby and Yang had a wonderful father, Qrow could move on after my death, and you weren't forced to betray your feelings for Raven because of my lies."

Taiyang looked at her quietly for a few seconds, and then he smiled gleefully.

"You haven't changed at all, Summer." He told her "Always the martyr… But I guess you took the term the farthest it could go, huh? If I was in your position… Well, let's say I would be a very angry ghost." The man chuckled "You don't deserve any of this… But, still, if there is someone I know who can handle what you've been through… It's Summer Rose."

The woman smiled to him and shook her head.

"Whatever you say, Taiyang. I know how much you've always admired me… Except in the first year of school, of course."

"Oh, _that_ time." He remembered "You used to have a crush on me, right? But I thought you were silly or something like that."

"I did _not_ have a crush on you. I was just… insecure, and you were always hitting on Raven in front of me." She glared at him "And if I _had_ any feelings for you, they were all gone after the alcohol incident."

"Hey! Qrow had a hand on that too."

The two smiled at each other, and then Taiyang closed his eyes. He sighed and put his arms to his chest.

"I guess it's over…" He whispered "Maybe I'll see you again someday, huh?"

"Someday." She assured "When you find Raven… Tell her I said hello."

"I'll tell her much more than that."

After those words, he said nothing more. Taiyang's chest stopped rising after a few minutes, and Summer watched it happen, tears sliding down her face.

-x-

"Where's the hotel my family was in?" Winter asked hurriedly as she tried to examine every part of the battlefield.

Adam disposed of a Beowolf and then turned to look at the heiress indignantly.

"How am _I_ supposed to know?" He questioned "That snake brought everything down. Your family could be in anywhere right now."

"Well, standing around is not helping!" Winter complained.

"Excuse me? _You_ are the one standing around; I'm making sure you can do that and stay alive." Adam noted "Look, it was the very first building to fall. It was big. But there's no way to identify it now."

"You aren't even making an effort." She muttered bitterly "You couldn't care less if they died."

The faunus sighed.

"Yeah, this was all an elaborate plot to kill the Schnees and not take the blame. Except for you, of course, because I think you're cute."

"_What_?"

"Do you know what a joke is?"

"Not while my family is-" Winter paused when she spotted someone walking out of a fallen building "Father! Here!"

Wade raced to her, avoiding all the Grimm. By the time he made it, there were a dozen Beowolves behind him. Adam grunted and passed by him, slashing all the monsters in quick succession. When that was done, he turned to look at the president.

"Put it on my tab." He said "Where's your oldest daughter? Or whatever you wanna call her."

"Weiss stayed behind." Wade stated, surprisingly not bothered by Adam's presence "She said she needed the Dust to do something to help everyone."

"What? Is she crazy?" Winter asked "There's no way she can fight all the Grimm, even with so much Dust."

"I don't know what she was planning." The father admitted "But the way spoke… It sounded like it would be extremely risky."

"Are you a _moron_?" Adam spat "She's going to try to infuse herself with Dust. You basically let your daughter commit suicide!"

Winter's eyes widened, but her father just looked at the faunus angrily.

"That isn't possible. There's no such thing as Dust infusion. Every attempt at it has failed, but it never resulted in death." He spoke in a low tone.

"I guess you only read about the tamer experiments." Adam realized "Dust infusion _is_ possible. I knew one girl who managed to survive the procedure… She was extremely powerful, but screwed up. You'll be lucky if Weiss just dies… Which is the most probable outcome."

Before the discussion could escalate further, an explosion rang in their ears. The three looked towards the building Wade has walked out of. There was now a hole above, and they could see flames snaking up through it.

Winter's eyes watered and she felt her father pass an arm around her shoulders. Adam lowered his head for a few seconds before beginning to walk the building.

"I'm going to see if there's anything left of her." He stated seriously.

And then, the flames died out as a wind rose from the hole… It was like a mini tornado, and in the middle of it was none other than Weiss, who appeared to have a glowing aura around her.

The once-heiress looked at the streets from above and made a gesture. The wind responded to her action, and she was sent flying until she was a few meters above ground level in the middle of the street.

Jaune and Pyrrha were still fighting the Grimm, and when they looked up, they almost had a simultaneous heart attack. Weiss examined the monster surrounding them and in a single swipe of her hand, they were all frozen solid.

The King Taijitu that was rampaging through the streets noticed her and uncoiled itself until it met eyes with her. It made a rasping sound, like it was hungry, and lunged for her with its open mouth.

Weiss shoved her arm forward, and a barrage of flames erupted from her open palm, flying directly inside the snake's body. The Grimm shrieked painfully and fell to the ground, crushing dozens of smaller beasts. The once-heiress dived down until she smashed against the Taijitu, and raised a hand. Dust gathered around it, and then she was wielding a sword made of hard ice. With a yell, she slashed the monster in half, making it turn to smoke.

She dropped to the ground and looked at the remaining Grimm. They whimpered and started to run away, but she raised her hands, and earthy spikes rose from the ground, catching and killing all of them. When there were no more left, she let her arms fall to the side and hung her head low, not speaking a single word.

"Weiss!" Jaune called cheerfully "You did it! That was _awesome_!"

The boy started to walk towards her, but she suddenly turned and pointed a palm at him.

"Stay… _away_!" She warned, her voice strained.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked worriedly.

"She's like Cinder Fall." Pyrrha muttered "Jaune, she's out of control. What do we do?"

The white-haired girl suddenly let out a yell and a fireball shot out of her palm. Jaune got in front of his girlfriend and raised his Aura, protecting them both from the attack. Still, he stumbled back, feeling the heat from the projectile.

"_RUN!_" Weiss shouted as she dropped to her knees.

She smashed a hand against the concrete, and a big chunk of the ground flew up beside her. Pyrrha took Jaune's hands and ran far away from their friend until they were at a safer distance.

"I… I'm…" The once-heiress whispered "Explode…"

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and instinctively got up and grabbed the wrist. Adam swore as his arm suddenly felt like it had been dived into an icy ocean, but he didn't retreat from the touch.

"Let it out!" He exclaimed "Come on, you're going to blow up if you keep it contained!"

"Leave me alone! I hate you, but I'm not taking you down with me!" She yelled back.

"Shut up! Remember my Semblance? The one that kicked your ass when we first met? I can take anything you throw at me!" He grinned savagely "Are you just going to give up, huh, Schnee? The stress is too much for you?!"

She tried to slap him away, but he was unmovable.

"You can't take it!" She warned.

"I can!" Adam grunted, realizing she would need some more encouragement "Let me tell you a secret, Schnee. The guys that killed your mother? They were from my circle. I ordered them to do it!"

Weiss screamed angrily and let out an explosion of fire. The faunus held onto her, absorbing the flames into his own body. The girl kicked him away and swung a fist at him, sending an electric ray at him, which he too absorbed.

He felt the energy flow through his body, making him stronger and faster, but he knew this wasn't even an insignificant fraction of her power. Adam dashed in and took both of her arms, deciding to just speed the process up.

He leaned down until his nose was millimeters away from hers, and smiled widely.

"I am going to kill Blake."

She stared right into his eyes, and in an instant, his whole world turned black.

-x-

"Yang!"

Ruby screamed as she ran in Patch Island, following the brawler's trail, which was pretty clear: in her conflicted state of emotions, she had left behind burned grass and trees.

"Yang!"

The redhead halted for a few seconds to catch her breath. This situation reminded her of the partnership formation ritual in Beacon, so many months ago. She had run across the Emerald Forest, screaming for Yang just as she did now. The difference, however, was that today she wasn't screaming to get help… But to help another.

Ruby shook her head, refocusing on her urgent task. Once again, she took off in a sprint, following Yang's markings. Soon, she arrived at the island's shore. She went after the footprints, and became very confused when they disappeared suddenly. A few meters from that point, the sand was thrown around in mounds, as if there had been a struggle of some sort.

_She found Raven_. Ruby thought. _They fought? But there's no blood, and no bodies. Thank Dust, but… Where did they go, then?_

The leader examined the unusual mounds, and discovered that the unruly pattern of sand continued for meters, following the shoreline. She ran along that, and after some minutes, she found something else.

Facing the sea, there was a small wooden cabin that fishermen used to store their boats and equipment. She was familiar with the place, having seen it many times before when she went to the beach with Yang. What she saw now sent a chill down her spine: there was a charred cadaver on its steps, and the house itself was burning.

Ruby was about to walk closer to the scene, but she stayed still when she heard a snarling noise behind her. In a single movement, she spun around, hitting her scythe against Raven's side as she lunged at her. The Grimm flew to the side and rolled on the sand, immediately recovering from the unexpected counter-attack.

"Raven?" The redhead called hopefully "Can you hear me? I'm Ruby! Summer's daughter?"

The monster dashed at her, swinging with a claw that she barely avoided by ducking. Ruby utilized the opening in Raven's stance and struck her scythe against her stomach, sending her stumbling back.

_It's no use calling for her_. The redhead realized. _She was good friends with Mom, but maybe she just got scared by her appearance… I guess it's better if I kill her than Yang…_

"Where's Yang?" She asked suddenly.

A roar put an end to all other communication attempts. Ruby blocked the monster's attacks with her scythe, using both of her hands to make her hold on the weapon firm. Raven got impatient and tried to tackle her, but she just stepped to the side and slashed her in the back.

The Grimm snarled at her and then retreated, never taking her eyes off the young girl. The redhead inclined her head to the side, confused at the sudden change in behavior. Every time Raven had appeared, she had never stopped attacking. When she got hit, she had just hit back fiercer than before.

The corrupted woman looked at the sky and howled. Ruby stood petrified, just looking at the act, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, she heard the loud noises of something else nearing them, but before she could turn to look, she was sent flying away. The redhead rolled on the sand gracelessly for meters until she managed to stop her momentum and stand up.

She wished she had stayed down, because then she would have never known what had hit her.

Beside Raven, Yang stood, looking at Ruby wordlessly. Her skin had darkened a bit, but she still had almost the same tone as before, as opposed to her mother, who was completely black everywhere. Her hair was flying with the flow of the wind, and it almost looked like it was burning. Her face was covered with red vein-like lines. The girl now looked like a freak of nature.

However, these changes were nothing when compared to her eyes filled with black, and the savage smile on her mouth.

"Yang?" Ruby muttered in horror.

The younger Grimm roared and dashed at her former leader, who was too slow to defend herself against the punch she received in the stomach. The redhead gasped and stumbled back, and then she was knocked down when Yang struck her face.

Ruby fell into the sand and rolled to the side. She raised her scythe hurriedly and shot blindly. The girl almost cried when the round exploded against the corrupted blonde's shoulder and she flew back several meters.

"Yang!" The redhead yelled "I'm sorry!"

The brawler got up and lunged at her. Ruby took a step and spun her scythe vertically, knocking the Grimm back again. Yang whined and retreat with small steps, clutching the shoulder that gotten hit before.

_She's not used to that body yet._ The daughter of Summer realized. _There's still some hope!_

"Yang, I know you're still there!" Ruby yelled "You have to fight it! Break free!"

The blonde snarled and tried to slash at her, but the leader sidestepped the attack.

"Please! You can't give up! You never do!" The younger girl begged.

She jumped back when Yang tried to claw her in the stomach.

"You're my _sister_!"

That word seemed to trigger something inside Yang. The corrupted girl stood still, looking at the redhead, and fire began to spin around her, until an inferno was surrounding her. She roared, and the flames all seemed to respond to her will, raising high and merging together.

Ruby aimed Crescent Rose and closed her eyes. She pulled back the trigger multiple times, hearing the impact of the rounds hitting Yang, until the magazine was empty.

The redhead looked again just in time to notice Yang's limp body fly past Raven and hit the ground. She lowered her scythe and hung her head low.

_Just like Cinder_. _Why do I keep fighting?_

Raven's roar awakened her from her morose state. She raised Crescent Rose just in time to block her claws, and then spun it to knock the Grimm away.

_No matter the cost… That's what Mom said. That's the way I think now._

Ruby dashed in and slashed Raven from hip to shoulder diagonally, making the monster scream in pain. The creature attacked again, and the redhead blocked, taking careful steps to keep her stance firm. That same rhythm continued, and it almost looked like a deadly dance between the two.

_But what cost is that? Did Blake offer her arm to make up for my foolishness? Did Cinder force me to kill her, or was I just too brash? And now Yang…_

Ruby stumbled, and her feet twister to the side painfully. Raven grunted and reached for Crescent Rose. The Grimm raised the scythe above her with each of her arms at one end of it. Then, she put force in her grip and joined her arms together. The weapon snapped with a loud metallic noise and fell to the ground in two broken pieces.

The redhead steadied herself and looked up at Raven.

_I haven't paid any part of the cost, right? I guess it's overdue now._

The Grimm reached for the girl and grabbed her by the throat. Ruby was raised up high, and she saw Raven preparing her other hand to slash at her.

_Sorry, dad. I'll be seeing you again too soon…_

-x-

_My mommy's dead._

_ Mine is too. I'm not crying._

_ She's dead…_

_ It's okay, Ruby. You never met her, right? Why are you so sad?_

_ I wanted to meet her! She looks pretty in the picture, and Dad really liked her…_

_ Huh. I guess it would be cool to meet my Mom too… But I don't need to. I already have Dad and you. You're all I need._

_ …I want mommy._

_ I can be your mommy, I guess._

_ You're my sister. It doesn't work the same way._

_ Why not?_

_ Because… Because it doesn't…_

_ Then I'll be the best sister ever._

_ …_

_ I won't leave you. I promise._

-x-

Ruby saw two claws surround Raven's neck, and then they yanked to the side. The Grimm let her fall, and the redhead dropped to the ground. She rolled and looked up in alarm.

Yang pushed her mother into the ground and yelled angrily. Her body was engulfed in flames as she pressed the other primal into the sand. Raven shrieked in pain, but she didn't fight back, confused by the sudden change in behavior of her ally.

The blonde roared and stepped on the older Grimm's chest, making her even weaker. Then, she decided to finish this once and for all. She brought a claw down quickly, passing it right through Raven's neck. The woman's head was severed cleanly, and after a few seconds, her whole body turned to smoke.

Yang dropped to her knees and gasped hoarsely. Her vision was switching from a black tint to normal constantly, and there was a weight in her mind, something like the worst of all headaches. She looked at her hands and examined the claws that substituted her fingers now… Strangely, she was sad, but felt no need to cry.

"Yang?"

The blonde looked to the side. Ruby was standing a few meters away, staring at her fearfully. Yang tried to smile comfortingly, but she realized her teeth must be awfully sharp now, so she turned her face away.

"I'm…" Her voice was… Strange. It was like her old one, but much rougher and deeper "I'm okay… I think. No. I'm certain."

Ruby approached and kneeled beside her. She touched her shoulder tentatively.

"Are you sure?" The redhead asked "Do you know who you are?"

"I… Maybe. Confirm if I'm right…" Yang began "I'm Yang Xiao Long. I was born a mercenary in the lands of Vale, and my little sister Ruby, _you_, always wanted to be one too, but I didn't let you. One day I got a job from the king himself to protect his daughter, Weiss Schnee, from a group of bandits. I did it perfectly, but for some reason she fell in love with a ruffian named Blake… Somehow, you also became a badass? Dust, there's something _wrong_ about this tale…"

The two looked at each other, and after a few seconds, both began to laugh loudly. They hugged each other, and soon, the laughs were mixed with uncontrollable tears.

"I love you, Ruby."

"I love you too… You're the best sister ever."

"Shut up…" Yang giggled "Or I'll be the first Grimm to die of happiness."

-x-

Weiss opened her eyes and immediately saw the stars above her. She examined them thoughtlessly and smiled a bit. She felt something in her arm, and then she heard someone yell beside her.

"What the heck?!" Jaune exclaimed "You sent a spark into my shoulder!"

"What?" Weiss asked confusedly.

"Well, you were sleeping…" The boy said slowly "Then you jolted me."

Weiss sat up and noticed she was in the middle of the ruined city. Her friend had been sitting on a piece of a building beside her, but now he was standing up, startled by the sudden event.

The once-heiress got up and looked at her palms. She could feel a strange kind of power coursing through her body… It felt incredible, but… It was like it was constantly trying to free itself.

"I guess lightning is happiness." She commented "I was looking at the stars, and so I remembered my mother. We used to look at them together."

She looked at the ground and noticed a small circle of ice surrounding her feet.

"Oh. That's… Sadness?" The girl guessed "Okay… Just stay calm…"

A gust of wind blew around her.

"What does wind mean?" Jaune asked.

"Like I have a clue!" Weiss exclaimed, and the swordsman had to duck to avoid the fireball that flew from her body "Oh, Dust! I'm so sorry!"

She stepped up to him and touched his shoulder.

"I'm okay." He assured "Although you are kinda freezing me right now."

Weiss grunted and step far away from him, looking down at herself angrily as fire surrounded her hands.

"Trust me, you're way better now!" Jaune exclaimed "You were literally going to explode before!"

"_What_?! How did I not?" She asked.

"…You almost blew up Adam Taurus." The blonde answered awkwardly "Emphasis on _almost_."

The once-heiress looked around until she found another gathering of people. Wade, Winter and Pyrrha were staring down at Adam's unconscious form.

"What happened?!" Weiss exclaimed.

Wade turned to his oldest daughter and tried to embrace her, but she stepped back and put her hands up.

"Don't. I almost singed Jaune's eyebrows some seconds ago." She warned "What happened to Taurus?"

"He absorbed your excess Dust… Or that's the theory." Pyrrha explained "Apparently, he didn't think warning anyone of his plan was a good idea. He just went to you and forced you to attack him."

"We will know as soon as he wakes up." Winter said "…Which he will surely do… Soon."

They all heard a groan. Adam sat up and rubbed his forehead, as if he was just waking up from a bad night of sleep.

"Your concern for me really warms my heart, Little Schnee." He spoke.

"Are you going to blow up?" The heiress asked worriedly.

"I don't plan on doing that anytime soon."

The faunus stood and made a waving gesture to the people surrounding him.

"Give me some space."

When his wish was complied, Adam pointed his arm upward and closed his eyes. After a few seconds, a red beam of energy left his palm. He looked at the others casually, as if nothing was wrong, while the phenomenon continued.

"What?" He questioned when he noticed their weird looks "Haven't any of you seen a guy with my Semblance before? Bunch of amateurs… Let me explain. I can absorb Dust, or any kind of energy, for that matter, and then release them again as this… beam-thingy."

"Beam-thingy?" Weiss repeated.

"I never got past sixth grade." Adam said "Actually, I never got past kindergarten. The professors said I was too dangerous to keep around scissors."

Finally, his Semblance stopped. He lowered his arm and smiled.

"That's all. I'm completely fine now." The faunus gave Wade a sly look "You're free to go back to hating me."

"…I won't question your goodwill anymore, Taurus." The president conceded, then he narrowed his eyes "But don't think I've forgotten all the evil you have done."

"Pff. I could say the same, but really, my ego is not as big as yours, so I'll just keep to myself."

Wade grunted non-amusedly and walked away. Pyrrha gave them a quick nod before going to look for Jaune.

Weiss stood silent for a few moments before looking at Adam sadly.

"You can't get the rest out, right?" She muttered.

"Sorry, princess. I could take the excess, the Dust that stayed at the surface, metaphorically speaking." He explained "But the infusion worked correctly, for some reason. Maybe you were lucky. Anyway, it means there is Dust infused in your very organism, and there's nothing to be done about that." The faunus smirked "If you need a punching bag… I'm available."

"I… I don't need that." She said "Just… I need to be alone."

The once-heiress turned their back to them and walked away, leaving icy footprints behind. Her sister looked at her go somberly before giving Adam a discreet glance.

"Thank you for saving us." She muttered.

"_Thank you_?" He repeated amusedly "Where did you learn that expression, Little Schnee?"

"…You are still as annoying as ever."

-x-

That night, Ruby, Yang and Summer gathered in front of the Xiao Long house. The sisters made a small pyre with dry wood and put their father on top of it. Traditionally, he would have been buried somewhere in Patch, since that was where he died, but when Ruby pointed that out, the other two women intervened.

"I don't want him buried." Yang stated evenly "It wouldn't feel right."

"Taiyang was Raven's soulmate. He would have wanted be laid down beside her…" Summer muttered sadly "Since that isn't a possibility…"

"Wherever they are, they must be reunited." The blonde said "But we should still do something for them here."

After that, Yang touched the wood and narrowed her eyes. The pyre caught on fire quickly, enveloping the ex-Hunter's body, turning it to ash over the next minutes. The three watched that, the two youngest standing side by side, while Summer floated farther behind them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, dad… I know you're not my father, but…" Ruby whispered "You truly were. I love you."

"I wish I could have done a better job. Maybe if I was stronger, or more disciplined, I could have saved you." Yang said "But I wasn't, and now… I hope you're not disappointed in me. I'm… I'm a monster."

The redhead hugged her, making her bury her face in her shoulder.

"You're not a monster, Yang." She stated "You're my sister. I'm here for you, just like you always were there for me, okay?"

"I… I need your help, Ruby." The brawler begged "I don't know if I can control myself. There are voices inside my head… Evil voices. Don't let me listen to them, please."

"Everything's okay. You're still Yang, and I'm not going to let you go."

Yang burst in tears as Ruby held her tightly. Summer watched them quietly, meeting eyes with her daughter when she looked over the blonde's head.

"Everything's okay, Mom. You don't need to be sad."

The ghost flinched and reached for her face, wiping away a tear too late. Summer stared at Ruby for a few more seconds before nodding and disappearing.

The last remnants of Taiyang Xiao Long burned away, parting peacefully from his loving family.

-x-

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee as he read the world news. His face darkened as he read a report about a nearby city getting destroyed by the Dark's forces.

_This is on the Schnee's path… I've heard nothing from Weiss for days, now._

He was about to reach for his Scroll to call the girl, when he heard the sound of flapping wings near him. A black bird landed on one of his office's windowsills and looked at the headmaster intelligently.

"**Is this dread I feel coming from you, professor?**"

Ozpin froze. The bird hadn't opened its beak, but he was sure the voice was coming from it. The headmaster got up and backed away from the animal slowly.

"**Cowardice? That is simply wonderful.**" The voice chuckled "**But I've grown tired of playing games, Ozpin. It's time you feel true despair… That is, if you're unlucky enough to survive**."

The bird shrieked and grew in size, until it was a dozen times bigger than before. The Nevermore hit the ceiling, breaking it effortlessly, and then stomped. Ozpin stumbled, and then the floor gave away beneath him. As he fell, he heard the distant screams of his students and the sounds of weapons and dissipating smoke.

He hit the ground and narrowly avoided the falling concrete. However, the whole building was crumbling around him, leaving him nowhere to run to. The Nevermore landed on top of him and screamed furiously. A hundred other Grimm appeared all around them, each one as scary and powerful as the first one.

"**Your time has run out.** **As you mortals say… Good luck**."

-x-

**Argh. Finally, this chapter is out... This covered some points in the story that I was really excited about since the beginning of it! I hope I wrote them well enough for you guys! Also, that last scene was the one that was supposed to be in the last chapter... Looking at it now, it really makes more sense for it to happen now, anyway... The plot train must never slow down!**

** Also, there will be info on more info on Yang, Weiss and Summer in the future chapters, so don't worry about those things not being explained. Slow and steady development wins the race (Or not. I don't have any writing awards, so don't trust me on that.).**

** Reviews!**

** Redcollecter: Hey, only one character died... Although I did make you think Weiss and Yang had maybe died too. Plan succeeded!**

** Lojzek: Hopefully Cinder 2.0 will be slightly less crazy. And, wow, you're right. This story started so light, huh? Some happy Beacon stuff, Jaune being a semi-badass, Ruby having _nightmares_? Now Grimm are climbing on their windows, snatching their loved ones up... (...That was a fitting reference.)**

** Miniswitchbak: TOP FIVE? Someone give me a pointy thing! I need to deflate my ego before it reaches dangerous levels! But, seriously... I really appreciate you saying that. Your reviews brought a genuine smile to my face. It's the best feeling ever for a writer when you know someone really likes your work! Thank you!**

** Chronical199 (from chapter 22): Uh... I don't think Robot Summer is going to be a thing... You get points for creativity, though! Rejoice, rejoice!**

** Cyborg: You're shocked? Take care, dude, or you'll malfunction! (ha, ha, get it? 'Cause Cyborg. Heh... I'm so sorry)**

** Struggle-time-happy-time-sappy-time-oh-shit-time-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

** -Zeroan**


	32. Fragility

Blake ducked, avoiding a Beowolves leap, and stabbed it in the belly while it was still in midair. With a yell, she swung Shade around her, repelling the Grimm that threatened her. They came in from all sides, wave after wave. When one fell, it was substituted by another in the blink of an eye.

She had been outside when the school had been engulfed in a dark mist. Immediately, she knew something was about to go very wrong. Her quick thinking was the only reason she survived, but she wasn't sure about anyone else that had been near her. The faunus had thought the first invasion on Beacon, when the Grimm had dug a tunnel to the campus, had been scary… That couldn't even compare to the sudden appearance of the monster in the black mist.

Blake had run towards the White Fang dormitories, but soon, her way was blocked by the hundreds of Grimm. She couldn't turn back, for there were even more behind her… Her only remaining option was to stand her ground against these impossible odds.

_It's over_. She realized. _I'm just one, facing hundreds. I don't know if anybody else survived… But I'll fight until the very end_.

Her resolve to struggle was unwavering, but still, she wouldn't be satisfied with such an ending.

_I just want to kiss Weiss one more time… Hug Ruby and Yang… Hell, I would even like to see Adam and be angry at his smug attitude… I just need them to know what they mean to me…_

"Hey, Miss Belladonna."

She was torn away from her thoughts by the sudden voice. The girl looked behind her and was surprised to see Garret, a deep cut running down his face, but standing strong with his daggers out.

"You're alive." She said in relief.

"I was lucky. The Grimm focused on the others before me… I'm sorry, I kind of left them behind." The monkey faunus muttered sadly.

"I understand. It's better to get out alive than die trying to saving people from impossible situations." Blake comforted him.

"Do you have a plan, Miss Belladonna?"

The girl swung her sword, slicing an Ursa in half, before smirking somberly.

"We fight." She gave him a quick glance "I told you to call me Blake."

"Sorry." Garret smiled "I'm a creature of habit, and I have many."

"Let's try to survive this so you can break some of them."

-x-

"Get up, you bunch of lazy slugs!"

Nora raised her hammer and then smashed it to the floor. She was standing in front of the White Fang's dormitory's entrance, facing a crowd of roughly two dozen faunus.

Most of the building's structure had fallen apart, and many people were buried below it… The sudden loss of their colleagues and friends made the warriors lose all will to fight. There wasn't a single brave face except for Nora's right now.

"What do you think you're doing?" She yelled angrily "There's Grimm out there, and eventually, they'll come for you! Stand up and fight!"

"Shut the fuck up!" A man shouted "We lost half the organization in minutes! Friends and family, all gone!"

"So what?! I've lost friends too, but now is not the time to whine about it!" Nora insisted "If you just stand around doing nothing, even more people will die! Do you want that to happen?"

Slowly, the White Fang rose and stared at her determinedly.

"So… Uh… What would Blake say?" The orange-haired girl thought for a few seconds before shrugging. She lifted her hammer above her head and smiled maniacally "Let's kick some Grimm ass!"

The faunus yelled in agreement and rushed out of the dormitory, their weapons raised high in bravery. The human girl looked around the lobby, her face somber.

_Where are you, Ren?_

-x-

Ozpin was sent flying back with the strike of an Ursa Major, his breath taken away when he hit a wall and crashed through it. The structure fell around him, taking even more of his Aura away.

He stood up, gasping for air, and looked around. Right now, he felt nothing but hopelessness, for everywhere he looked, there was darkness. It didn't make any logical sense: the school had been destroyed, so there was no ceiling above him, meaning the sun should have been shining brightly, but instead, it was like the dead of night.

The headmaster could barely feel the presence of the Grimm that surrounded him, and sometimes he just wasn't quick enough to react to them, and as he was damaged more and more, defending himself became increasingly harder.

All he could do now was struggle to live, his only hope was that a light came through to save him… But he knew better than to be so optimistic.

"Why haven't you killed me already?" Ozpin exclaimed "You said you were tired of playing games."

A chuckle rang through the darkness, coming from all directions. A Beowolf leaped out of the shadows, passing right beside him, leaving a surface scratch in his right cheek.

"**I don't want to kill you, Ozpin. That would be foolish.**" The Dark spoke "**Why would I waste such a valuable resource?**"

"A resource? I will never work for you." The headmaster stated.

"**Won't you?**" It chuckled again "**You have so much darkness inside of you… I've seen all you are, Ozpin… I know who you really are."**

The voice grew closer, seeming to focus in front of him, although he could still see nothing.

"**You are disconnected from the others… You lie to yourself, saying you are just like them, but you **_**know**_**… You're above them. When they dismiss your words, you make a joke of it… But deep down, your despise them.** **But most of all… You hate yourself.**"

A figure walked out of the shadows, and it took him a few seconds to realize who it was. Cinder Fall stepped up to him and laid a hand on his cheek, smiling intimately at him.

"You are a horrible human being. You should pay for all the evil you've done to me." She said "But, maybe… If you could just forget everything… Embrace all the hatred… You would be perfect."

"You aren't real." Ozpin muttered.

"Am I not?" She leaned to whisper in his ear "Join me, Ozpin."

The professor stood still for a few instants before shoving the girl away forcefully. He threw a fist forward, sending a projection of his Aura towards her. Her face contorted in rage and her figure shifted until it was only an undiscernible mass of darkness.

"**I will break you, and you will join me. You can't win against me.**"

Then the Grimm appeared again, shoving him around while the Dark stepped back into the shadows.

-x-

Blake heard the yells of the faunus before she could even see them coming. However, it became very clear who they were when a group of them pierced through the Grimm savagely and joined her.

"Belladonna!" One of White Fang called "Half of our people are dead!"

_No._

Blake felt the urge to just drop Shade and sit on the ground to cry her eyes out. All the work she had done to change these people… How much they had done in just a few days, almost unrecognizable from their former terrorist lives… All that ended in a single day, and there was nothing she could have done about it.

_I… No, no, please…_ Her mind was into overdrive, refusing to accept the reality of their current situation. _I need someone… Weiss…_

A hand was laid on her shoulder, and when she looked back, Garret gave her a half-smile.

"We're still here." He stated "Still fighting, still living."

"I guess that's true…" The girl muttered, not really comforted by these words. But the simple fact that there was someone with her made her resolve awaken again "What about the Beacon students and staff?"

One of the White Fang shook off a small Grimm from her spear and looked at Blake somberly.

"The students' dormitory was in even worse shape than ours. There were some survivors, but maybe nothing more than fifteen…" She told.

"Okay…" The brunette shook her head, deciding to ignore the full implications of those news "Where are they?"

"Valkyrie told us to split off. We were sent to the campus, and so we found you." The girl with the spear said "The others went to the student's dormitory to protect them and search the building for survivors."

"Garret, do you think there's anyone else left in the campus?" Blake asked, and when the monkey faunus shook his head negatively, she sighed "Then let's go back to the others. We need to stick together if we want to survive."

The White Fang nodded and followed her, cutting a path through the crowd of Grimm until they found their way to the student's dormitory. They had set up a defensive semi-circle in front of the ruined building, where the strongest warriors where repelling the Grimm while the others retrieved anyone they found alive underneath the rubble.

Blake signaled to her companions to join the defense and then ran to Nora, who was urging the rescue team onward.

"Nora!" She called "Are you all right?"

"I'm great!" The orange-haired girl answered quickly "I don't think there's anyone else left alive. We got like, twenty students, at most."

"That's horrible." Blake muttered "…Anyone important?"

Nora gave her a discreet glance, trying to force her shoulders to stay raised despite her sadness.

"I don't think any first year students survived. I found Cardin and his team, all smashed up…" She looked away, trembling "I hated these guys… But I never wanted something like that to happen to them."

"I know. Nobody deserves this…" Blake agreed "But we need to keep focused… Make sure everyone else comes out of this alive."

"Yeah, you're right. I actually gave a mini-speech on that earlier." She looked to the White Fang near them "Hah, Valkyrie is a hypocrite! Throw her out of the ex-terrorist group!"

The faunus looked at her weirdly before returning to their tasks. Nora stared at Blake again seriously.

"What do we do now?" She asked.

"There's no one else left to save. We need to get out of here and down to Vale. We'll be safe there, and then maybe we can come up with a plan to retake the school." The one-armed girl decided "Nora, can you lead them to the gates and then to the city?"

"I'll do my best. They respect my hammer." Nora said "What about you?"

"I'll be late. Ozpin hasn't appeared yet, but I don't think he would go down easily… I need to find him."

The hammer-wielding girl nodded, and then she hugged Blake tightly.

"Don't do stupid cat stuff." She whispered "I haven't found Ren… Can you look for him?"

"…Of course I can."

They separated, and then Nora yelled to the White Fang, relaying the plan to them. Blake watched her silently.

_If Ren wasn't with her…_ The brunette shook her head. _I'll probably find him dead, and she knows that… Nora is trying to stay brave, but she's breaking on the inside…_

The cat faunus sighed sadly and turned away from the White Fang.

_There's no room for hope here_.

-x-

"Uncle Qrow!"

Ruby squealed and jumped, almost tackling the man to the ground. The Hunter smiled and hugged her, lifting her in the air before putting her down again. A nearby doctor gave them a glare.

"You shouldn't be exerting yourself that way, Mister Rose." He warned.

"This is my niece. You shouldn't be such an…" Qrow trailed off and smiled awkwardly "Such a worrying person!"

The doctor gave him a suspicious look before walking off. Ruby stared at Qrow and then examined his belly.

"Are you okay, uncle?" She asked "You were hurt pretty bad, right?"

"Yeah, but it didn't hurt as much as it scared me, actually. I lost a lot of blood, but I was lucky and got to the hospital in time." He gave her a small smile "I have your mother to thank for that."

"Oh… You know about her." The redhead realized.

"Yes… At first I thought she was an hallucination, but then one of the doctors told me my sister had brought me in… Which made me freak out." He chuckled "Summer visited me yesterday at night… She told me everything."

From his somber look, Ruby could elaborate on what _everything_ meant. She hugged him tightly, and he answered the gesture with even more will.

"I'm so sorry about your father, little Rose. He was a great friend. I'll never forget him." Qrow muttered.

"Yeah… But everything's gonna be okay." The girl responded "I've cried for him, but he wouldn't want me to be sad forever. I'll honor his memory by doing my best."

"That's what I like to hear." The man smiled "Where's Yang?"

"She's outside… She didn't want to draw a lot of attention, considering…" Ruby shook her head "Let's join her."

The two walked out of the hospital and into the street of the small town they were in. The girl pointed to a figure that was leaning against the building. Her features were hidden by a long brown coat and a hood.

"Hey, sis. I'm back." Ruby called.

Yang looked up and at them. Her violet eyes went from her leader to Qrow, and then she turned her face away quickly.

"Hi, Qrow." She said in her rough voice.

"Uh… Hi." The man answered awkwardly "How are you doing?"

"Are you stupid?!" She snarled lowly, and then covered her mouth with her hands "I'm sorry. I didn't want to say that."

"No offense taken. It was a stupid question, anyway." Qrow admitted "…I still would like an answer, though."

The blonde looked at him briefly before shrugging.

"I'm doing okay. No need to worry about me." She stared at the ground before continuing in a softer tone of voice "I need to tell you something… It's about my mother. She was your teammate, so you deserve to know…"

"I know what happened to her." Qrow interrupted "I also know that what you killed wasn't really Raven… She was gone seventeen years ago. If anything, you put her spirit to rest, finally."

"Thank you, Qrow." Yang muttered.

"You know, you aren't my blood at all… But, well, Ruby isn't too. That doesn't mean we aren't family." He said "If you need anything, I'll always be there to help, blondie."

He touched her shoulder, but she immediately reached for his hand and removed it.

"I know." She stated "But I don't need so much attention." Yang looked at Ruby "We're going back to Beacon, right?"

"Yep. Uncle's fit to travel, and it's about time we returned." The redhead answered cheerfully "Let's hope we didn't miss a wedding!"

-x-

Blake was on top of a ruined building, crouching so the Grimm beneath her didn't notice her. She had managed to sneak closer to school's main building by staying above the beasts, but she knew one slip of the mind or body would alert them to her presence immediately.

When she looked at the fallen school, it was a miracle that didn't happen. The facility had been enormous, containing several floors and rooms to provide the best learning experience to anyone in Remnant… But now, it was reduced to rubble, and in the middle of it all, a single sphere of darkness flowed like mist.

"What the hell is that…?" She muttered.

The faunus had a pretty good idea, however. There was only one being she could imagine that could make such a strange phenomenon happen: the Dark itself. But it hadn't spread to engulf everyone nearby, which meant it had a purpose to be in the main building…

_Ozpin is inside of that._ She realized.

Blake got up and prepared to jump down to the ground and race towards the sphere, but a new arrival stopped her. Summer looked at her seriously and raised a hand.

"Don't go, Belladonna. You wouldn't last a minute there." She warned.

"Ozpin is inside that, I'm sure." The faunus told her "I need to help him."

"We don't even know if he is still alive." The ghost refuted "If he is… It means the Dark wants him to be so. But you… You might survive its influence, but the Grimm will tear you apart."

"I can't just let the Dark do whatever it wants to do with him!"

Summer looked at the dark sphere silently and nodded.

"You are right. He can't end like that." She spoke softly "I'm going in. Don't follow me."

"What? You _can't__**." **_Blake frowned "You're just a spirit… The Dark will destroy you even quicker than me."

"The way to combat the Dark is to have positive emotions… Being a spirit, my emotions are even stronger, because there is no body to hold them hostage." Summer stated "My connection with Ozpin is a powerful one… It will help me survive." Then she looked at Blake and smiled sadly "And, if I die… Well, it's not like I'm that great of a help in most situations. I would choose my death over yours without a doubt in my mind, Belladonna."

"…Good luck." The faunus wished.

Summer nodded and shifted to the front of the sphere. She looked back at Blake once and then headed in, her white form contrasting with the darkness around her.

The brunette turned her vision away from the phenomenon, thinking quickly.

_If she doesn't come back with Ozpin, we'll have to go on without him._ She decided. _I've looked everywhere in the school grounds… Except for…_

She moved gracefully over the top of the ruined buildings until she stood in front of a smaller, more compact one. It had served as a small infirmary outside of the main school building, mostly reserved for not students or people who needed quicker attention.

It was very isolated from the rest of the school, so there weren't a lot of Grimm there. Blake had to take care of a dozen small ones before heading inside. Some of the walls had fallen, and many parts of the ceiling had caved in and crashed against the ground. The air inside the place was dusty, so she had to narrow her eyes in order for them not to sting.

She saw the silhouette of someone kneeling on the ground, their back to her. Blake rushed to their side, and was both relieved and horrified that it was Ren. His whole face was bloodied, mostly its left side, where he had an eye shut painfully. His left arm was also busted and limping, a lot of skin having been torn away violently. The Aura adept looked ready to drop unconscious at any second, but still, there was a fierce look of determination on his face as he stared at something in front of him.

There was someone laid on the ground, her clothes smeared with red. She had a bandage fixed around her forehead and both of her arms, but overall, she looked less injured than him. When she spotted her rabbit ears, Blake finally identified the person as Velvet Scarlatina, a student from one of the later years.

"Ren?" Blake called "Are you okay?"

The boy looked at her in surprise, which alarmed her even further than his injuries already had. Ren always knew what was going on around his surroundings. She remembered a week where everyone except for her and Weiss had participated in a bet to see who would be able to catch him off-guard… In the end, all of them had been left with emptier wallets.

"I'm… not okay." He admitted hoarsely.

"What happened?" The brunette asked urgently.

"I was on the campus when the Grimm appeared. Team CFVY was nearby, and they managed to get a nice defense going… But then Coco fell, and the others soon after…" He narrated somberly "Velvet was so horrified, she fainted. I managed to get her out of danger, but… You can see what the cost was."

"Your arm…"

"Still attached, but I don't think there's much use left in it." Ren grinned sadly "We're sharing a crippling now. Unfortunately, I've got another one too… My left eye is gone."

Blake flinched at his words.

"There's medicine here." She stated quickly "I'll get it for you."

"It was all destroyed… The few ones I could find, I gave to Velvet." He told.

"But… Why? Your injuries are far worse." The girl muttered.

"That's the exact reason. You're not naïve, Blake… You know I can't survive this with just pills and bandages." Ren sighed "Maybe she didn't need them, but… Velvet lost her whole team in seconds. I wasn't going to let her die too… I gave her the best chances to survive…"

He looked at Blake with his only functioning eye, a spark of emotion burning in it. She was so used to his normal conservative expressions, that this single look spoke libraries worth of words to her.

"You aren't going out there again." The girl stated.

"You're right. I'm staying here… I would just be a burden to you, anyway…" Ren said "Take Velvet to safety."

Blake nodded and picked the rabbit faunus up, holding her in her arms. She looked at Ren somberly.

"Goodbye, Ren."

"Goodbye…" He muttered as he leaned against a wall "Can you say something to Nora for me?"

"Of course. What is it?"

He closed his other eye and smiled faintly.

-x-

The darkness was unbearable. It came from every direction, forming shapes and tricking his minds constantly. Ozpin found himself wishing that the Grimm return so he could feel pain again, something he knew was real…

"**Join me…**"

He wasn't sure if the voice was ringing around him, or inside his own head. The headmaster was on his knees, covering his ears with his hands in a futile attempt to shut all sounds out.

Eventually, he saw a light reaching him. The silhouette of a young woman clad in a white cloak appeared in front of him, but he refused to face it.

"Ozpin." Summer called "Get up. You need to get out of here."

"Stop it." The man whispered "Don't do this. Not her. No her, please."

The ghost shook, her form wavering in the middle of the evil mist. She could feel its dark tendrils reaching inside her being, but she knew she couldn't leave Ozpin so easily.

"I'm real." She begged "Ozpin, you're being tortured… You need to hold on and get out… Just follow me."

"_DON'T TOY WITH ME!_"

The man stood up and swung a punch at her. She yelled painfully when she felt the impact of the attack and stumbled back.

"See?! You're not real." Ozpin smiled in crazed relief "Summer's dead… I can't _touch _her, you fool."

"It's the Dark's influence." Summer reminded "I'm material here. Don't you remember what I told you, Ozpin?"

"Get out!"

He swung another punch, sending a projection of his Aura into her. The woman gasped, her whole being agonizing with both physical and spiritual pain. She gritted her teeth and turned back, running away, leaving a trail of white petals behind her.

Ozpin laughed softly and stared at the darkness cheerfully.

"I can beat you!" He stated "You can't force me to join you!"

A chuckle rang around him.

"**I have all the time in the world.**"

-x-

Nora sat down, leaning against the outside walls of a hospital in Vale. The White Fang and students had managed to move through the school together, clearing a path to the gates, opened them, entered the city, and then closed them again, all without losing a single person. Still, there were lots of injured, so their first stop was the hospital.

The citizens of Vale were in a panic, rushing through the streets, leaving their houses behind to move to the fields. They knew it was only a matter of time before the Grimm left Beacon and descend upon the city below, and they weren't about to put their safety in the hands of fifty or so students and ex-terrorists.

The orange-haired girl had faith in the group, however, especially when they found Glynda Goodwitch along the way out. The woman had been single-handedly repelling an army of Grimm, and she had been glad to help her students. It was incredible how fierce that woman was, even when she hadn't recovered fully from the injury she had received by Penny's hands.

Nora's only worry was about Ren and Blake, but for good or bad, they were about to be quieted now. The cat faunus neared the building, and before she went to her friend, she deposited Velvet Scarlatina in the arms of another student, who quickly entered the hospital to make sure the girl received medical care.

Blake kneeled in front of Nora and looked at her sadly. The hammer-expert's eyes watered.

"Did you find him?" She muttered.

"I did, but… Ren was too injured… He used his last reserves of strength to make sure Velvet lived." Blake said, hoping that knowledge would bring at least some comfort to her friend.

Nora burst out in tears, and the brunette was quick to hug her.

"He asked me to say something to you…" The faunus whispered.

"W-what?" The orange-haired girl sobbed.

"…Boop."

-x-

**EDIT (05/02): I just want to make it clear I didn't write Ren's death because of Monty Oum's current condition... I actually had this plot point planned for a long time, and it's pretty sad the chapter came up right now... If you're offended, or angry, or whatever, you have all the right to be so. I am really sorry. However, I won't be changing anything. I just wanted to apologize and make sure you guys knew I didn't write this because of current events. I respect Monty a great deal, and I would never take advantage of his situation to get some sort of emotional response from my readers, or anything like that... His work has inspired me like nothing else ever has, so I wish him a swift, healthy recovery!**

**Reviews!**

**Ocomfv: Last chapter was one of these "parallel arcs end in kaboom". I have a tendency to do these, actually... Like the first chapters with Wade Schnee, and more recently, the White Fang invasion while Penny was massacre-ready. I don't know if there's some cheapness to how I write them (making a lot of fractured scenes that tend to give some sort of shock value. I don't know, maybe I'm just too self-conscious or something)**

**SunDragon: Even though there's going to be more stuff on Weiss next chapter, I can't help but want to defend her now... Sure, the infusion was risky and it had huge side-effects, but it wall an all-or-nothing situation... (You shouldn't listen to me, though. My opinion is automatically flawed because I'm the author, haha). I update three times a week. I used to have a schedule of what day I posted, but I've been following it more loosely recently (I'm not going to post less, however, that's a promise). About the time I update... It's whenever I feel like it when I already have the chapter finished, or when I finish the chapter. Besides, giving an hour wouldn't really help that much anyway, since I'm Brazilian, so time fuses and stuff.**

**Lojzek: Weiss' vision weren't foreshadowing, sorry. She was "dreaming". I didn't use italic like I usually do with these scenes, because I was deliberately trying to make you think it wasn't a dream. Oh, how clever I am! (I'm not). Anyway, she dreamed those things because she was failing to infuse herself... And, shit, I feel so bad right now. You said I'm not being George R. R. Martin? Weeeeeeeeeeell...**

**Cyborg: Yep! Although it isn't as good as you might think. More on that on the next chapter!**

**Strategist: Overall, the chapter happened midday-ish. I didn't make it completely clear, maybe because the scenes were a continuation of chapter 30. That's no excuse, though. By bad! And Weiss can't do that, unfortunately. She can't "become" Dust... The closest thing she could do is explode herself (NOT A GOOD STRATEGY FOR IMMORTALITY!).**

**No-joke-boop-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer!_**

**-Zeroan**


	33. Conceal, don't kill

Weiss was sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree on the side of the road. The group had resumed their journey to Beacon, and had covered almost half the remaining distance in a single day. She would have been happy about that, if the reason for that weren't their lower numbers and all the Dust she had used already.

After the situation had stabilized, they had counted eleven people, but that included her family, Adam, Jaune and Pyrrha… So, of the fifty people Wade had united to go to Vale, only five remained.

The once-heiress slammed her fist against the ground, making a small flame rise from her it. It was so _unfair_… So many lives, just _gone_, in one brief battle. The sacrifice she had made didn't make that much of a difference, in the end…

She wanted to stand up and scream to the skies, to lie on the ground and cry until she passed out, to just let everything _out_. But she couldn't do that anymore… Weiss had to seal herself, or she would destroy all she was.

_I am already destroyed._ The white-haired realized somberly. _I can't feel anything… So, really, am I alive?_

She had always thought of herself as a reserved person, or if she was saying it out loud, _composed_. But, really, she wasn't… Weiss just buried her unwanted feelings, like everyone else did. Even Ruby, who was such an honest, happy person, hid her fears and worries from her friends.

Now she realized how far her foolishness went. From now on, she would have to really hide herself: to bury the good and the bad so deep, that she would truly be unfeeling.

_No wonder Cinder was so troubled…_ Weiss thought. _She managed to create a fake version of herself, so she never felt emotionally invested in anything. But when she met Ruby… She broke from the shell she had constructed, only to be punished for it._

The once-heiress raised a hand and looked at it. It was enveloped in a cold mist, and as she moved it around, the Dust followed her… She felt connected to it, in a way she never had before.

_I should run away. Leave everyone behind…_ _It would save me and them from a lot of suffering._ She planned.

Fortunately, the sound of approaching footsteps made her escape impossible. She turned to look behind her, and saw her father just standing there, staring at her silently.

"Are you cold?" He asked softly after a while.

She eyed the mist that surrounded her and shook her hands agitatedly, dispersing it.

"No, actually. It's like when you use Dust up close… You don't feel its effects much." She told.

"Interesting." He sat beside her "So… I know your powers are tied to your emotions, but… You can't use every type at will, right?"

"That is correct." The girl muttered "When I get angry, it's Fire. Happiness, Lightning. The only one I can call upon freely is Ice. There's no science behind this, of course, but using Cinder and me as examples… I think the Dust we can control is the one that represents the emotion we are the most tied to." Weiss smirked sadly "From what I know, Cinder had an awful life, and the way she dealt with it before gaining control of herself, was by being angry… Me, well… I cope in different ways."

Wade nodded slowly. He looked at his daughter solemnly and passed an arm over her shoulders, ignoring the biting cold that invaded his body.

"I am so sorry for everything I've done to you, dear. All these years… I don't know how I could become such a… monster." He shook his head "I thought I was honoring your mother by fighting the faunus, and in that struggle, I got both you and your sister involved… If you weren't so smart, you would have become just like me, and our name would have truly been shamed."

He passed a hand through her hair. Weiss looked at him with a mixture of happiness and suspicion. Her father had never been one to share much physical contact, except for the occasional hugs, and of course, the many beatings from her childhood.

"I think Wade Schnee is too far gone." He whispered "But, Weiss and Winter… Those are names that will belong in history books, two girls that will change the world. I don't deserve you two, but you make me proud."

Weiss hugged him, and he could feel a low rumbling of electricity in her body.

"You're not too far gone, father." She stated "You can make up for every bad thing you've done, and more."

"Maybe I can, but not in the spotlight." He said "I don't need to say this, but… You're a Schnee again. Of course, you never stopped being one, but just to make it official. If you want to, you can be my heiress again."

The girl shook her head vehemently.

"I refuse." She decided "It's an honor, but I don't want to run your company… I belong somewhere different. Besides, Winter will make a much better businesswoman than I ever could be."

"I didn't expect anything else." The man got up "Just do me a favor, sweetheart."

Weiss looked at him curiously.

"When the time comes…" Wade smiled faintly "Make sure _she_ changes her surname. Weiss Belladonna might not be an ugly name, but I would like to keep the number of Schnees above two."

The once-heiress almost cried from happiness, and without thinking, she jumped to her feet and hugged her father tightly.

-x-

Yang fell to the ground on all fours, breathing raggedly. She closed her hands, almost tearing the grass out from the soil with her claws. Her vision changed from red to black, almost like she was being dived head-first into oil and blood.

_Kill. NO! Yang. Yang Xiao Long. I'm good._

She snarled and got up, swinging a claw into empty air.

_Hate. Pain. Kill._

The blonde grabbed her hair desperately. It felt like her mind was split in two, and the separated parts were fighting each other for control. She knew what side she wanted to win: the one that spoke with her old, human voice, the girl who wanted to enjoy life no matter what she threw at her. But the other side refused to seize ground: in her best moments, it would just lay dormant, whispering dark thoughts, but it always came back, roaring savagely.

She knew that eventually, whether it be five minutes from now, tomorrow, or when she was fifty years old, the dark inside her would win. There was no denying that… She knew the Grimm was her true self, the one that had been torn away, and the human was the one struggling to keep its position.

_Can't win. Not like this. Not alone_.

Her relief came when a hand touched her shoulder. Immediately, her mind cleared, and she could think normally again. Yang looked back and almost cried at the sight of her sister.

"Yang." The redhead smiled sweetly "I'm here for you."

"Ruby!" The blonde sobbed, involving her in a hug "Thank you. I'm losing myself… But you're here. I'm okay now…"

Ruby rubbed her sister's head affectionately. She wondered if that's how it was before, only their positions were reversed… She had probably cried a million times over petty things, and Yang had been to one to comfort her. It was not only her duty, but also her pleasure, to return the kindness now.

"I'll always try to help you." She whispered "But there may be times when I won't be there for you…"

"I know. I'm sorry." Yang muttered.

"Shush! No self-loathing!" Ruby reprehended "You'll get better in no time, okay? This is not me being nice; it's me stating a fact. The Yang I know always conquers her problems!"

The Grimm looked at the ground sadly.

"Not always. If it weren't for you, I would have been gone." She said "I think you saved me just in time, Ruby… And even after I regained myself, well… It wouldn't have lasted for long if you hadn't stayed with me."

"So what?" Ruby put her hands on her hips "Just because you start with training wheels, doesn't mean you'll never ride the bike without them." She inclined her head to the side and raised an eyebrow "That's a terrible analogy."

For the first time that day, Yang laughed out loud. She shook her sister by the shoulder and smiled at her.

"Thanks. I'll try to sleep without training wheels." She decided "I'll make you proud!"

The blonde walked to a tree and sat down, leaning against it. She closed her eyes, and in a few seconds, she drifted into peaceful sleep. Ruby smiled faintly and made her way back to their makeshift camp, a few meters away.

They had stopped for the night, and Qrow had taken the liberty to construct a small campfire to heat them up. Right now, he was sitting on a stump, examining the two broken pieces of Crescent Rose.

"Hey." Ruby greeted before sitting in front of him, only leaving the small fire between them.

"Huh."

Apparently, the girl had gotten her fascination with weapons from her uncle. Considering how he used to babble on and on about them since she was three years old, it wasn't really a surprise.

"Can you fix it?" The redhead asked hopefully.

"…Maybe. Without replacement parts, it will more fragile, but I can make it work. Still, it's better we make a copy as soon as possible." Qrow said.

"Since you're still weak, maybe you could lend me your weapon?"

The Hunter looked at her like she had asked him to give her a piece of his arm.

"No. Black Thorn is mine." He refuted firmly.

"Okay. Just remember this: when Crescent Rose snaps in the middle of combat and I die horribly, it won't be my fault." Ruby warned.

"Pff… Like you couldn't run away from battle if you needed to." Qrow shook his head "How is Yang doing?"

"She's all right. I think it may take some time before she is completely back to normal…" The redhead looked at her lap sadly "That is, if she ever becomes completely normal again. Physically, there's no going back… Mentally and emotionally…"

"Hey, don't go there, little Rose." He interrupted "As long as you two have each other, everything will be okay. Time heals all wounds… Even if it tends to reopen some, too."

Ruby nodded slowly, knowing exactly what her uncle meant with that phrase. Outside, he seemed to be fine, but she was certain Summer popping into his life again and Raven's and Taiyang's fates had shaking him at his core.

"Did you always know?" Ruby asked suddenly, and when she received a confused look, she elaborated on the question "About my blood. Did you know Taiyang isn't my father?"

"They lied to me too, but they were _fools_! They forgot how smart I am!" Qrow smiled arrogantly, but then he assumed a more composed posture again "On a more serious note, I actually didn't believe them. I spent four years with Summer, Taiyang and Raven on Beacon. Sure, there was some brief nonsense drama between your mother and Tai, but that man was willing to jump off a cliff for Raven. He never saw another woman after she disappeared, I'm sure of it." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully "I bet Summer tried to use those years at Beacon to make people think Taiyang was your father… I guess there was no one around that would question that lie, so it worked."

"But why would she lie about my father?" The redhead frowned.

"Beats me. You should ask her about it."

"She hasn't answered my recent calls." She pouted.

"Probably doing her ghost taxes, or something." Qrow shrugged.

The girl smiled amusedly. This was the reason she liked her uncle so much: no matter how sad or dire the situation was, he always managed to lighten the mood with jokes and banter.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at Qrow. He noticed her staring and looked around him uncomfortably before returning the contact nervously.

"Since you are so smart, and you've got so much first-hand experience regarding my mother…" The girl crossed her arms defiantly "Do you know who my real father is?"

-x-

_"I killed them."_

_ The compartment beneath the sink opened slowly, revealing three little kids huddled together, hugging each other. Their faces turned to her in terror, and slowly, blood started to flow from their foreheads, and they screamed, and screamed, and screamed, a sound of pure, innocent anguish._

_ "I killed him."_

_ The dark-haired boy reached for her, one hand sticking out, begging for help. His pink eyes shook with emotion he so often held back, and then, one of them just fell out of its socket, bouncing on the floor like a miniscule sports ball._

_ "I killed her."_

_ Her back was turned away from her, but the smooth long white hair was unmistakable, as was her elegant battle attire. She cried for her, and the girl turned her face to look._

_ It was blank._

-x-

Blake was roused from sleep by the sound of heavy breathing. The brunette stood up on her chair and looked around the hospital room, reaching for the light switch. It clicked, but the bulbs on the ceiling didn't turn on. She frowned in frustration and was about to leave the room to discover what had happened while she took her first nap in days, but a voice stopped her.

"W-where a-am I?"

Blake upon around and stepped to the patient's bed. Velvet narrowed her eyes to look at her, and briefly, they shone with relief.

"It's you, Blake." She whispered "What happened?"

"We… We are in Vale. A hospital." The cat faunus' voice almost failed "I think the electricity is gone."

"That's too bad. But we're faunus, so we don't have as much trouble…" Velvet smiled faintly "Where's Yatsuhashi? And Coco and Fox?"

The room was silent for what felt like hours. Blake took one of the other girl's hands and squeezed it.

"Beacon was attacked. Almost everyone died." She paused briefly, considering how to best phrase the next sentence.

Telling Nora had been painful, but, in a way, easier. She too had known Ren, so they both shared the pain of his loss. It was always better to hear bad news from someone you knew also suffered from them.

But in Velvet's case… Sure, Blake known and talked a few times with her team, but she didn't consider them friends. She was sad about their deaths, of course, but they weren't any more crushing than all the others.

"Your friends died in the battle at Beacon. They fought to the very end, but there were too many Grimm." Blake felt pain when Velvet almost crushed her hand with hers "You passed out, but Ren saved you."

For the next minutes, the brunette stood silently, holding Velvet's hand as she cried her eyes out. She knew there were no words she could say to make the situation better, so after a while, she retreated from the contact and made for the exit slowly.

"W-wait!" The rabbit faunus sobbed "C-can I… Talk to him? Ren… J-just… Thank him…"

Blake paused on the doorway, looked back at Velvet, and shook her head once, before walking hurriedly away.

The hallways were dark, and for now, she was happy about that. The lack of light hid her tears from the few people who were sitting on the ground, chatting quietly, resting, all trying to find their own ways to deal with their desperate situation.

Blake stopped shortly before Nora's hunched figure. She was alone in a corner, her back against wall, hugging her knees while looking blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey." The brunette called softly "Do you need anything, Nora?"

"No. Thank you, Blake." Nora's voice was barely hearable "I just wanna be alone."

The faunus nodded and moved on, not wanting to upset her friend in such a delicate time. Blake also didn't want to talk, because she knew she would break down too, and that was the last thing Nora needed to experience.

Eventually, she reached the hospital's lobby, which was completely deserted except for a few scattered students and White Fang. The leader looked around until she spotted Garret, who was leaning against a wall, looking silently through the double glass doors to the outside.

"What happened?" She hissed, and then flinched. Had she really done that? It had been years since she had last been so frustrated "I'm sorry. Just… Tell me what happened to the electricity."

Garret raised his hands and bit his lips, like he was about to be the bearer of bad news to someone who shouldn't hear them.

"Some Grimm left Beacon a few hours ago, apparently. That's we heard on the last broadcasts… We don't have any access to television anymore, by the way." He squirmed uncomfortably "We think they trashed the energy supplier. The whole city is blacked out."

"But shouldn't this hospital have backup generators?" Blake frowned "Its access to electricity is literately a matter of life and death."

"Well, we have been searching for the generators. Unfortunately, the whole staff has left already, so we have no clue where to look. I think everyone has already evacuated… We might be the only ones left in the city."

She just wanted to scream in anger. Why did everything have to go wrong all the time? Couldn't life throw them a single ray of hope?

_Keep focused_. She breathed deeply. _You can't freak out… Not while there's so many people depending on you. You are their guide, their example…_

"Okay." She said in an even tone "Anything else?"

Garret grinned nervously and rubbed his head.

"Uh… Apparently, someone got pretty angry and trashed the whole food reservoir." He told slowly.

"Good joke." Blake smiled faintly "But you didn't trick me."

The monkey faunus stared at her like he didn't know what to do. Slowly, her smile faded, giving way to trembling shoulders and a few silent tears of anger.

"I can't believe this." She muttered "Who did it? _Who did it?!_"

The look she gave him made it seem like she was ready to kill whoever he named. Garret shook his head powerlessly.

"We have no idea." He answered "Everyone has a reason to be sad right now, and you know that a lot of people turn that feeling into anger… Also, there was nothing to give us any clues about what jerk did it."

Blake put a hand on her forehead and just thought for a few minutes.

"I have to go. I'll gather any food I can and bring it back." She decided.

"_You_ have to?" Garret repeated disapprovingly "You can barely stand up straight right now. Any more stress, and you'll be _seriously_ injured. Let me go, okay? I'll be as quick as lightning and as efficient as… stress-free Blake Belladonna… Which, I admit, is something I haven't witnessed personally, but I've heard about it!"

The girl nodded hesitantly.

"Thank you. Maybe I'll finally get some rest…"

"Hey, you don't have to thank me! I might have grown up in the streets, but I know all girls need their beauty sleep!" He joked "I'll take a radio, okay? Just in case I see some cool giraffe Grimm no one's ever identified before and I need to gush about it."

Blake smiled faintly and watched him gather a few important equipment before heading out the glass doors. She sighed contently, ready to lie down on the cold floor and just sleep for hours.

But, as always, something else came up.

"Blake?" A female student whispered behind her "Miss Goodwitch just collapsed. We don't know what to do with her."

Blake stared at the glass doors silently before lowering her head.

"…Take me to her."

-x-

**Hey, guys. Just want to take a little space here to wish Monty a good rest, wherever he is now. I didn't know him personally, of course, but I feel a owe him a lot for creating so much awesome content. If it weren't for RWBY, this fanfic would have never existed, and sincerely, that possibility gets me pretty sad. This is just a story, but it means a lot to me to write it, post it, and then see how people enjoy it, even when there's so many better ones out there. So, let me double this as a thank you to all those who stuck through every chapter! I say thank you every chapter, and I mean it, but this time, it's a times a million thanks!**

**On the note of this chapter... This was surprisingly short, but I think it's still good. I mean, it's a nice change of pace from the more recent DEATH AND DESTRUCTION ones. Except for the part where Blake dreamed of the little kids and Ren (what the hell, brain, did you really need to make his eye fall out?!).**

**Reviews!**

**SunDragon: Aw man... You don't know Boop? It's a very short line from Nora in one of the earlier episodes of RWBY. I can't remember which one, but it's during the Emerald Forest partnership-thing. She pokes Ren in the nose and say 'Boop!'. If you only know that, it sounds pretty silly, especially when I used it how I did... BUT THERE'S MORE. Search for the song Boop from the Volume 2 Soundtrack, and prepare to be amazed, and possibly feel feels. Sadly, Zwei isn't going to be in the story. There's no place for him, and I think it's obvious that if he were in it... He wouldn't wouldn't have a happy ending. If you want Zwei stuff, though, you can read my Cats and Dogs one-shot (SHAMELESS SELF-ADVERTISING!).**

**Cyborg: If by SNK you mean Shingeki no Kyojin, I'm afraid I don't see any similarities at all. I've only watched the anime, though. Unless you mean only my fanfic is like it? Which is something I can understand then. Except my scenes is not nearly as dramatic as SNK's (SERIOUSLY, why does everybody need to scream for ten seconds every time shit happens in that anime?! You should be used to things going bad!).**

**Blake's-stress-sized-thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


	34. Broken emotion

"Ozpin, are you still with me?"

The headmaster pressed his forehead to the ground. He could still see, from the corner of his eye, the white figure of Summer Rose, kneeling beside him.

"Talk to me." She urged.

"Stop." He whispered "This is torture… But you'll never win. Just kill me already."

"I'm not the Dark." Her voice was faltering, as if she was in the verge of crying "Ozpin, I'm Summer. You have to believe me…"

He gave her a furious look and raised a fist, but his Aura was fluctuating wildly, and he wasn't able to focus any of it to attack. The sight broke her heart: the headmaster rarely got physically involved in any violence, but when he did, he fought like no one she had ever known. Ozpin was like an endless flame of hope and determination in the battlefield… Now, he was shattered, barely able to lift a hand in anger.

"Please… I'm Summer." She repeated "Your Summer…"

She hugged him, her temporary body still feeling unnatural… Like it wasn't made of flesh and blood. But, in that moment, he didn't care. In her embrace, he remembered memories of days long past… When he didn't need worry about the safety of his students, and their smiles and happiness were all that mattered.

"I wish… I just want this all to fade away…" Ozpin muttered "I'm tired of living in this world, where it doesn't matter where I go, I'm always alone."

"You're not alone… I'm here." Summer said, staring him in the eyes, hope rekindling on hers "Ever since you told me about the Dark, I've been by your side. Hell, Ozpin, even death wasn't enough to free me of you." She laughed softly, but there still was a solemn look on her face "And you've been there for me, too, even after I warned you to stay away. I tried so hard to detach myself from everything, and I just wanted you gone…"

The ghost laid a hand softly on his cheek and smiled sadly.

"Don't leave me now."

-x-

The first Grimm appeared early in the morning. The sudden howling of Beowolves in front of the hospital awoke anyone who was sleeping inside of it. The students and White Fang had formed a defense and repelled the beasts easily, but they knew that was hardly the last threat they would have to face.

After worrying about Glynda Goodwitch's condition (the professor had strained herself too much. It had taken a long time for the pain to kick in, but when it did, she immediately fell unconscious.), checking up on any people who needed help, and gathering any amount of food she could find on the building, Blake was ready to sleep for a whole week.

However, as always, she stayed up and stood beside her comrades, fighting to keep the increasingly more dangerous waves of Grimm away. Her moves felt slow and sloppy, but still, she was much more capable than many others. With great sadness she had seen a student die, stabbed by the sting of a Deathclaw, after he had taken a step too close to the monster.

Sometime in the afternoon, the cat faunus shook her head in frustration and neared Nora, who was glad to be fighting again. The violence and adrenaline seemed to be the only thing able to keep her mind off of Ren, driving her to become a ruthless Grimm killer, which made her an extremely powerful force on the field.

"Nora, we may be able to keep this up, but it won't be long before we're out of food." Blake muttered.

Nora was polishing her hammer absently-minded. She gave her friend a brief look before nodding.

"You're right." She agreed "Where's Garret? Didn't he go get food?"

"He did." Blake confirmed, frowning worriedly "It's been more than twelve hours now. He took a radio, but he hasn't contacted me at all."

"The Grimm got him." The orange-haired girl muttered darkly.

Blake's heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment, because of her friend's tone of voice, and the realization that she was probably right. From what she knew, Garret wasn't incompetent, so there was no way he would take so long to accomplish such a simple mission as scavenging food… That only left a few painful alternatives for the motives of his absence.

"Maybe he just had to hide. He might be trapped." The faunus said hopefully "Maybe… Maybe he abandoned us. But he can't be dead."

"Why would he abandon us?" Nora asked "Ignore all the death and destruction, and you see a very merry group of inexperienced kids and ex-terrorists."

"I don't know." Blake admitted "There's just something about him… I'm probably being cynical."

The conversation was interrupted by the buzzing of the walkie-talkie Blake was carrying on her hip. She took it in a hurry and pressed a button.

"Garret?" She called.

There was statistic for some seconds before the monkey faunus responded. His voice was rough, his breath heavy, as if he had been in danger very recently.

"Miss Bella- Blake." He said tiredly "I'm in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked urgently "What happened?"

"What do you think?" There was a hint of annoyance in his voice now "I can tell you whatever ran me over was _not_ an automobile. Unfortunately, not a Giraffe Grimm either. At least that would have been an interesting story to tell." He grunted painfully "I managed to crawl inside an old warehouse… But my legs are no good. If only there was a hospital I could be taken to…"

Blake turned from Nora and looked at the street, which was clear at the moment. Her expression was of fiery determination, although her body still swayed with exhaustion.

"Tell me where you are." She ordered.

"Uh… Town center? Somewhere there. There's a fountain in the plaza in front of the warehouse." Garret told slowly "You don't need to send people here. I'll be fine as long as I stay low. I'm pretty Zen, so the Grimm won't notice me… Unless I think about the food they stole from me."

"I'm not sending anyone. I'm going." Blake decided "Stay safe."

She clicked the button and reattached the instrument to her hip. The faunus checked for Shade, finding comfort by holding its hilt.

"You can't go, Blake." Nora muttered "Please. It's too dangerous."

"That's why I'm going alone. I can't risk anyone else…" Blake shook her head vehemently "Garret has been very helpful, and even if he wasn't… Nobody deserves to die alone."

"What about you?" The hammer-wielder trembled "You've got to see Weiss again. And Ruby, and Yang, and…"

Nora hung her head low, tears escaping her eyes uncontrollably.

"I can't lose anyone else." She whispered.

"You won't lose me." Blake promised, laying a hand on her shoulder "This is a promise. But I won't be able to focus unless I know everyone here is in good hands…" She smiled encouragingly "Can I trust you, Nora?"

The orange-haired girl stayed silent for a few moments, before raising her head proudly.

"Yes. I'll do everything I can." She said "For you… For Ren."

-x-

Yang looked at the families that passed by her side, traveling to the opposite direction of Vale. Unconsciously, she clenched her fist and narrowed her eyes.

_They all look very tired. Easy prey…_

The blonde shook her head.

_Shut up, Mean Yang. And stop talking like Cool Yang._

She smirked. For some time now, she had been having these mental conversations with herself. Maybe she was crazy, but making fun of her darker self somehow made everything better. It made her feel in control, at least more than she felt before.

"Hey, uncle." She heard Ruby's voice at her side "Where do you think these people are going?"

The Hunter looked at his niece and smiled.

"I'll take a safe guess and say it's not a beach house." He said "It's a lot of people… And all going away from Vale."

"Do you think something happened?" Ruby frowned "Was the city attacked?"

"Yes… Or they got hit by a meteor."

The redhead looked at road in front of her, her emotions unreadable now, before disappearing in a shower of rose petals. Qrow looked at Yang.

"I guess she didn't buy the meteor theory." He spoke in mock disappointment.

"Nobody would." The girl muttered "Come on. Let's run!"

-x-

Weiss frowned as her group walked in the streets of Vale. It had been almost ten minutes since they had entered the city, yet they hadn't seen a single living soul. It was almost terrifying, since the place was usually bursting with people.

"What's wrong here?" Winter whispered, catching on her sister's worry "Where's everyone?"

The once-heiress extended an arm, forming an icy sword with Dust, and then laid her other hand on Winter's shoulder.

"Something happened, but I don't know what." Weiss said worriedly "Stay close to me, Winter."

She looked back and saw that her father was also alert. Pyrrha nudged Jaune in the shoulder and whispered something in his ear, to which he nodded silently. The two stepped up to their friend's side.

"We think Beacon was attacked." The redhead said "If the city was the target, the school would have helped immediately. But look at everything… This is nothing like the other attacks. No broken buildings, no bodies…"

"The people must have known the Grimm were close, so they ran away." Jaune continued "And the thing that warned them was Beacon being attacked."

"That's… Probably right." Weiss muttered.

Icy mist circled her as she stared ahead of them fixedly.

"We need to find everyone." She decided "They can't be dead."

Before anyone could say anything, the Dust warrior took off in a run. The only thing they could do was follow her, but the difference in their abilities became clear: while Jaune, and especially Pyrrha, were very good runners, Weiss seemed to move even faster and with almost no effort.

They only stopped when a crowd of Grimm appeared in front of them, blocking the way ahead. The once-heiress frowned and dove right in, slashing at the monsters with her ice-rapier. Pyrrha and Jaune joined her, and in a few minutes, all the creatures were only smoke.

Before they could say anything, Jaune was enveloped in a tight hug. He almost screamed in fear, but stopped himself when he noticed it was Nora. The orange-haired girl smiled at him, but then her expression broke and she buried her face on his chest and started crying.

"Nora?" He called worriedly "Are you okay?"

The orange-haired girl took a step back and stared from Jaune to Pyrrha.

"No." Her voice faltered "Ren… H-he… He didn't m-make it."

Time seemed to stop as the three members of team JNPR stood in the middle of the street. Jaune's sword and shield fell on the ground and he hung his head low. Pyrrha stepped close to Nora with tears in her eyes, and put both of her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked "What happened?"

"Beacon was attacked. Pretty much everyone died…" Nora told somberly "Ren didn't die right away, but he chose to save Velvet Scarlatina… He got injured badly, and couldn't make it out of the school."

"C-Couldn't you have saved him?!" Jaune exclaimed, letting his anger out for once "Y-you… You could have carried him or something!"

Nora shook her head sadly.

"I didn't even see him." She sobbed "I only know what Blake told me."

The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at Weiss, who was surrounded by a miniature blizzard, as she stepped close to them.

"Where is she?" The once-heiress asked "Blake? Where is she? _Tell me she survived!_"

Pyrrha grabbed one of Weiss's arms and dragged her away, putting her a safe distance away from Nora.

"Weiss, you need to calm down!" The redhead urged.

She was suddenly knocked to the ground by a slap to the face. Weiss didn't spare her a glance, her vision focused on Nora, who stared back at her in fear.

"Where. Is. Blake?!" The Dust warrior asked again.

"She's… She's in the center of town. The plaza- A warehouse." The hammer-wielder responded, stumbling over her words "What is _wrong_ with you?"

Instead of answering that question, Weiss just turned her back and ran, leaving a trail of ice behind her.

-x-

Blake stepped into the warehouse, her eyes narrowed so she could better see in the dark. She still couldn't make anything out, and as she moved further inside the building, it became increasingly harder to find her way around the place.

"Garret?" She whispered, and the sound of her voice carried throughout the warehouse "I'm here."

A figure stood up a few meters ahead of her. It limped towards her, and when it finally reached her, she could see it was Garret. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to actually be hurt.

"Hey." He greeted "You finally came. I was getting bored."

"You're not injured." Blake stated.

The realization came a moment too late. A dagger hit her stomach, and her Aura was the only thing that saved her from a fatal injury. Blake stepped back and kicked Garret, sending him stumbling back.

"What the fuck?!" She exclaimed "Did you lure me here to kill me?!"

"I knew you weren't naïve, _Miss Belladonna_." Garret smiled mockingly "But I'm curious… Did you ever believe my story? Because it was dumb. Seriously, a street kid who _doesn't_ like violence? Yeah, right."

He dashed at her, swinging with his daggers in an x shape, but she managed to raise her sword to block in time.

"Why?" Blake asked "You _helped_ me, now you want to kill me?"

"Maybe you _are_ naïve." Garret sighed "I did help you, but only so you would trust me. The White Fang aren't fools, they knew you couldn't be taken down at your prime… So they sent me. My orders were to kill you when your guard was lowered, or whenever I felt was best."

"You made a mistake." She said "This is not best time… And I never lowered my guard."

"Then why are you so startled?"

"There is a difference between being naïve and being hopeful." Blake explained "I believe everyone can be good… But some choose not to be. I thought you weren't part of that miserable fraction of mankind… I was wrong, apparently."

He jumped and kicked, hitting her on her weaker shoulder. She gasped painfully and fell to her knees, letting her sword fall on the ground so she could hold the shoulder with her hand.

"I am not part of a _fraction_." Garret seethed "Look around, Belladonna. Everywhere, you will see the same thing. No one is good. Nobody cares about anyone other than themselves. Even your own equality agenda… It serves to benefit you, right? The others are just a bonus."

"You're so wrong." Blake muttered sadly "I know someone like you, Garret… He saw the world the same way… But at least he acknowledged that was only his own vision. He gave me a chance, and now… He's on my side."

"Really?" He chuckled "And how long will it be before he too betrays you?"

"I won't make any assumptions." She said "Don't dare speak to me about Adam."

"You are lost. You can't hold your group together. It was doomed to fail, even before the world went to shit." The monkey faunus smiled "I'll do you a favor, for being a good friend while it lasted, okay?"

He leaned in and stared at her eyes.

"I'll make your death painless, and when that's done… I'll do the same for your friends."

Blake looked back at him, and as she stared at his unfeeling face, something broke inside her. Everything she had been holding back for days, the anger, the stress, the desperation… It was all released in a single movement.

She stood, grabbed his throat with her hand, and yanked to the side, ripping through his Aura and his flesh. He gasped, blood escaping from his mouth, and fell on the ground lifelessly.

"Go to hell." Her voice sounded weird to her ears, as if there was someone different speaking these terrible words.

Her body froze when another voice reached her.

"Blake?"

She looked back and saw Weiss standing in the entrance of the warehouse, the light of day surrounding her. She was petrified, looking at her girlfriend, and mist seemed to swirl around her.

Blake gulped and looked down at her bloodied hand and Garret's corpse.

"I… I can explain." She whispered "Weiss… Don't go."

Weiss shook her head and turned her back, exiting the warehouse. The faunus sobbed and sat on the ground, truly alone in the dark.

-x-

**Sorry for the short chapter! There was no better way to end it than at that moment... But in good news, next chapter, everything will come together again! Get hyped! (DON'T GET HYPED)**

**Reviews!**

**Ocomfv: Thank _you_ for reading it! It's super nice to write Ruby scenes where she isn't... Uh, Cinder-death-fied...**

**SunDragon: Don't worry, Glynda is alive. She just wasn't fully recovered from the Penny-massacre, so when she went to kick Grimm ass, things went wrong. I would tell you not to worry, but, well... I think I'm past the point of pretending this isn't a dark story (not nearly as dark as others, though).**

**RyMTY: The Dark's power comes from negative emotions. When it attacks someone, it is actually aiming at their emotions, but since it is so strong, it actually hurts them physically. Hypothetically, if Summer was stronger as a spirit and she was more evil, she could also hurt people (but not nearly as much as the Dark, of course). What the Dark is doing right now, though, is using Ozpin's emotions against him. It's more like a torment than just physical torture.**

**Cyborg: Oh. Yeah, there are some similarities, now that I think about it. But RWBY is still too... fluffy... to compare, in my opinion... But I'm banking on Pyrrha's death on Season 17 to change the tone of the story (MARK MY WORDS. THIS WILL COME TRUE).**

**Sad-Monochrome-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Children of Summer_!**

**-Zeroan**


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